Hello Again
by Anna Flair
Summary: Jesse makes a surprise return, and he has an offer for Rachel from Shelby. Rachel's world is turned upside down, and she finds herself on an adventure full of laughter, drama, and love. Just so happens, Jesse is along for the ride.
1. Oh Snap!

**Disclaimer: ****If I owned Glee, this would be how last night's Regionals episode would've ended. **

**A/N: This was what I was hoping would happen after Regionals this year. Alas, I was wrong, but I felt the need to write it out anyway. It starts right after Mr. Schu announces Rachel won MVP. This story isn't perfect, but hey, nothing is. All I can do is try and get it right ;) Kudos if you got that reference. Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only one who wanted the episode to end like this. Enjoy!**

**Hello Again**

_Finally_. New Directions had come to their senses and gave Rachel the praise she deserved. And she had a legitimate award to prove it. She stood to accept the award, already coming up with an acceptance speech in her mind. "_Don't forget your fourth grade singing teacher; she really gave you your start_," she thought to herself. However, the moment Rachel turned and faced her team, the acceptance speech faded into the back of her mind.

She wasn't the only one on the team who was supremely talented; they _all_ were. It took her winning this award to realize it. Every single member of New Directions brought something unique and valuable to Regionals. Sam, with his big mouth, even Quinn, the man-stealer. They were all special, and that's why they won. All of New Directions deserved to be MVP.

So instead of rattling on about the people who turned Rachel into the star she was today, she just spoke from her heart. She expressed her thankfulness to the team and hoped they realized how special they all were. Everyone seemed to be won over by her gratitude, and Rachel was soon enveloped in a big hug. She couldn't help but notice the way Finn was looking at her; that could only mean good things. "_Maybe Quinn doesn't have him wrapped around her finger like I thought she did_," she thought.

A knock on the door made everyone look up from their spots around Rachel. "_It's probably Sue_," Rachel thought. "_She must be here to try and justify her losing to us. I can just imagine the lame excuse she's come up with now. Well, it doesn't matter. New Directions won, and no one is going to take that from us_."

Rachel turned towards the door, prepared to shut Sue up before she even got the chance to start on a long rant.

Only, it wasn't Sue.

Rachel thought nothing could dampen her mood that day; she was going to be happy forever after the win at Regionals. Well, Rachel Berry has been wrong before.

As she stood staring at the figure in the doorway, her eyes grew wide and her mouth went from a smile to a large "o". Her mind went blank, and for once in her life, Rachel couldn't find her voice. Her teammates stared on, holding their breath. They were just as horrified and shocked as Rachel.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Rachel's mind began to work again. Well, it only worked partly. There was some kind of error; her mind could only process one word. Without thinking, she blurted it out.

"Jesse?"

"Hi, Rachel."

**-Blackout-**


	2. People Are Just Difficult

"Wow, loser, you made her pass out," Puck said, leaning over Rachel, who had blacked- out after seeing Jesse St. James, her ex-boyfriend/sworn enemy standing in their choir room.

Jesse shrugged, leaning against the piano. "It's not my fault she can't handle things like this."

"You know what?" Finn began, walking towards Jesse, "Why don't you just leave?"

Jesse smirked. "Sorry, can't do that."

Sam came over. "Then we'll just have to make you leave."

"What? Are you going to eat me with your insanely large mouth?"

"Stop it!" Mr. Schu shouted, coming between Jesse and the boys. "Listen, what we need to worry about right now is Rachel. I need somebody to carry her to the nurse's office. I would do it myself, but," he shrugged, "my doctor told me to keep away from lifting heavy objects."

"Well at least someone finally realizes that Berry is fat," Santana smirked.

Mr. Schu rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

Jesse raised his hand. "I'll bring her. Besides, I want to be there when she wakes up. I have to tell her something."

Finn frowned. "That's not a good idea."

"No," Quinn interjected. "Finn, just let Jesse take her. It'll be fine."

Jesse smiled sourly at Finn and moved forward to pick Rachel up. He swiftly swooped her up in one quick motion and left the room without any further words.

"He's just going to upset her," Finn muttered.

"This has drama written all over it," Mercedes said, smiling at Tina.

"Mr. Schu? Why is your son back? I thought he went to the University of the Cat Lovers Association?"

Everyone frowned at Brittany.

"What?" she asked. "Didn't he say he was going to UCLA?"

Meanwhile, Jesse had successfully brought Rachel to the nurse's office and was patiently waiting for her to wake up. The nurse put an ice pack on her forehead, and glanced at Jesse. "I don't believe you're a student here."

Jesse smiled. "I'm just an old friend."

"Mhm," the nurse said sarcastically, unbelieving.

"It's true!" Jesse insisted.

The nurse stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and walking away.

Within a few minutes, Rachel began to stir, and her eyes suddenly flew open. "Where am I?" she asked, sitting up.

"Woah, calm down." Jesse pushed her back into a lying position. "You shouldn't sit up so fast, especially after just passing out."

Rachel paled. "Damnit," she muttered. "It wasn't just a nightmare."

"Nope," Jesse said smugly. "I'm really here."

Rachel turned away from him. "Why don't you just leave and go bother someone else?"

"I can't. I was sent here by someone." He leaned forward. "Someone _close_ to you."

Rachel turned back towards him, curiosity winning out over hatred. "Who?"

"Who else?" Jesse shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Shelby. She wanted to talk to you about something but didn't know how to approach you. So she sent me."

"Well, _this_ certainly wasn't the best way to approach it."

Jesse sighed. "Shelby never did have the best judgement."

"Just tell me why you're here and leave. I can't stand being in the same room as you."

"You know, I have feelings too. "

Rachel scoffed. "BS. You're heartless, Jesse St. James."

"I could just leave and not tell you the proposition Shelby has for you." He began to stand.

"Just tell me!" Rachel shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling him back down into his seat.

Jesse laughed. "Alright! Pushy, much? Well, since adopting a baby, Shelby hasn't been working much. Now, though, Beth is already a year old, and Shelby thinks it's time to get another job. She's been approached by a national touring theater company to direct one of their shows. The only thing is, the leading lady got pregnant, and now they need a new girl."

"And that's where I come in." Rachel's eyes shone brightly.

"Exactly. The only thing is, you'd be on the road for about six months. You'd miss the rest of the school year, but Shelby would hire you an on-the-road tutor."

Rachel frowned. "But we're headed to Nationals now. She wants me to just leave New Directions like that?"

"What's going to look better on a resume?" Jesse asked. "Winning some stupid show choir competition, or performing in a nationally touring show at the age of 17?"

"Glee Club wasn't stupid to you," Rachel muttered. "You couldn't wait to win Nationals."

Jesse sighed. "Well, college has changed my perspective on things. When I think back, Vocal Adrenaline wasn't so important. I should've been in more community theater shows instead of wasting my time in that club. It's hard for me to get parts on stage now because people don't feel that Glee Club is adequate stage experience."

Rachel glared at him. "You're making that all up."

Jesse held his hand up. "I swear I'm not."

Pondering over everything Jesse said, Rachel couldn't seem to reach a decision. "I can't give you an answer right now," she told him.

"I don't expect you to, neither does Shelby. That's why I'll be coming back here in a week, and by then, I'll _need_ an answer." Jesse stood up. "I better be going. I'm sure that upsets you."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "I hate you," she muttered.

"Love you too!" he shouted as he walked away.

_Well,_ Rachel thought, _this was_ definitely _going to be a long week._

**Author's Note: In honor of Jonathan Groff's return to Glee (May 10, squeal!) I'm continuing this story. I hate this chapter. As you can tell, I rushed it. I apologize. At least now I have some type of plot put together. Now, I can't promise that the updates will be continuous, as I'm also working on two other stories. But, I'll try my best. It might help if I knew this story was actually being read, so, REVIEW!**


	3. A Bombardment of Calls

Rachel remained in the nurse's office for the rest of the day, trying to recover from multiple things. Her ex-boyfriend, whom she hadn't seen in over a year, randomly retuned and ruined one of the best moments in her life. The best is that he only came because her mother, whom she also hadn't seen in over a year, had a proposal for her._ Sure_, Rachel thought as she walked out of school that day, _now she wants me. Wait, what am I saying? She doesn't want me; she wants my talent._

Not that that wasn't a compliment to Rachel. Her talent was basically all she had. The proposition was definitely something to consider. Nationally touring at the age of seventeen was extremely impressive, and Rachel couldn't dream about anything better. Yet, New Directions was counting on her. They obviously recognized that she was an important asset to the team. They'd be crushed to know she was leaving them. She'd never be able to do that to them…well, she could. It was only recently that they actually acknowledged her; before winning Regionals, they treated her like crap. Why wasn't she allowed to treat _them_ like crap?

Suddenly her phone rang, and Rachel looked down. It was a text from "THE ASSHOLE". _Jesse_. Hesitantly Rachel opened the message and read, "Forgot to mention- the show Shelby's directing is Funny Girl."

That was it. Rachel was in. She had wanted to play Fanny Brice her entire life, and now was her chance. Screw New Directions; it was her time to shine. Rachel was so overcome with joy that she burst out into a rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade" as she walked through the school parking lot. "Dear Mr. Arnstein…"

Wait. Who was playing Nick Arnstein, her love interest? Rachel had a sneaking suspicion as she texted Jesse back. "Who's playing Nick?"

He texted back within seconds. "Me =)"

Rachel's heart dropped to her stomach; she felt like she was going to puke. _Back to Point A,_ she thought.

This new information made her decision much harder. To think that she would have to kiss that slimy, blue-eyed loser made Rachel squirm. Ever since he egged her, Rachel had pushed Jesse St. James into the back of her mind, and the only feelings she associated with him were hatred.

Yet, they'd only be acting, and she wouldn't technically be kissing Jesse. She'd be kissing Nick Arnstein. Would that be good enough consolation? Of course not. The lips of Rachel would be touching the lips of Jesse. It was enough to make her want to die.

Her phone buzzed again, and she looked down. Another text from Jesse. "Anything wrong with that?" Rachel sighed. _Yes_, she thought, t_here definitely is_. Choosing not to respond, Rachel walked over to her car and was just getting in when Finn ran over to her.

"Hey Rach, everything okay now?" he asked her.

Rachel gave him a half smile. "Not really."

"Did St. James hurt you? Because if he did…"

"No, he just talked to me about stuff…" Rachel couldn't make eye contact with him.

"What kinda stuff?" Finn asked cautiously.

"He, um, had a proposition for me. From my mom."

"What?" Finn couldn't comprehend what she was saying.

"She's directing a, uh, nationally touring show. The lead girl got pregnant, and she needs a quick replacement."

"You're just going to abandon us for a show? We made it to Nationals! You can't leave us now."

Rachel shook her head. "I told him I'd have to think about it. Jesse's coming back in a week for an answer."

"Why would you even have to think about it," Finn asked, frowning. "You're considering leaving us?"

"This is an amazing opportunity! Besides, Jesse said Glee Club doesn't look that great on theatre resumes. I need all the experience I can get!"

"Are you trying to say that you actually _believe_ him? Do you even remember how he backstabbed you? How hurt you were? I care about you, Rachel. I don't want to see you like that again."

"I remember everything, Finn. But they're doing Funny Girl," she blurted out. "It's my dream."

"This isn't some joke, is it?"

Rachel sighed. She closed the door to her car and turned on the engine. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"If you're doing this because you think your mom actually loves you now, it's not going to work. If she really loved you, she would've came herself today instead of sending someone else to do her dirty work," Finn shouted as Rachel pulled away.

Tears filled her eyes as she drove home, but she shook them away. She couldn't let Finn get to her. He wasn't worth it. She needed to focus on herself. Why she didn't pull away the minute he began talking, Rachel didn't know. It was a stupid mistake to listen to him.

When she got home, she was bombarded with phone calls. Finn must've told the whole world what had happened. The first call she got was from Quinn.

"You should totally go on the tour," she said as soon as Rachel picked up the phone.

"You're only saying that because you want me away from Finn," Rachel muttered.

"Maybe. I really _do_ think it's a good opportunity, though. People would kill to be in the position you're in right now. Being offered a lead role in a national production while still in high school? That's impressive."

"But all of New Directions is going to hate me if I go."

"Why do you even think that? I mean, it's not as if we can't win Nationals without you. We can. Mercedes, Santana, and I can easily carry the female vocals. It'll all be fine."

Rachel only grunted in response.

"I really think you should think it over, though, okay? You have the chance to become a star," she stressed, and Rachel thought she heard something fake behind her words.

The next call she received was from Mercedes and Tina.

"Girl, you better not be thinking about leaving us," Mercedes said.

"Yeah, Rachel, come on, we're so close to winning it all. Why leave us now?" Tina added.

"It's a great opportunity!" Rachel insisted. "I would hope that my friends would support me."

"Well, we're not. Get over it. You're gonna have a whole lot of trouble headed your way if you go away. I swear, we'll never forgive you, Rachel," Mercedes said threateningly.

"Mhm," Tina agreed.

Rachel just sighed and hung up.

That night, Kurt called.

"I am so jealous of you!" he gushed. "Finn just told me the news! Honey, screw New Directions! Do you know where this can lead you? This can lead you to Broadway! Hey, when you win a Tony, remember me in your acceptance speech, okay?"

"You really think I should go for it?" Rachel asked, unsure.

"Of course! Ugh, I have to go. Finn wants his warm milk. Bye Rachel, or should I say, Future Broadway Star!"

The last person to approach her on the subject was Puck via text message.

"You do realize that if you go, any chance you have of getting in Finn's pants disappears forever?"

Rachel shook her head and sighed. This was most definitely going to be one of the hardest decisions she'd ever have to make.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, stuff happened =/ Thanks so much for all the reviews last chapter! Keep 'em coming! Hope you're enjoying the story; I actually am putting another one of my stories on hold to write this. It's so much fun!**


	4. Contemplating Choices

**Note: I wasn't positive on Rachel's dads' names, so I just went with the names I see written in fan-fics most often. **

The next morning, Rachel opted to stay in bed instead of doing her early-morning vocal exercises. She had too much to think about. The opportunity to perform professionally was too much to take in, and Rachel didn't rule out the possibility that it was all a dream. Still, the chance to leave Ohio and finally become a star was way too alluring, and it took all Rachel had to bring her back to reality.

She had a_ team_ she had to think about. A team that was counting on her. Well, at least _some_ of New Directions was counting on her. She thought about her phone call with Quinn and rolled her eyes. Obviously, Quinn was just jealous of her supreme talent.

Whether Quinn thought it or not though, Rachel knew there was no way they were going to win Nationals without her. She had watched some nationally acclaimed glee clubs online, and they were amazing. Of course, Rachel could've out-sang all of them, and that was exactly the reason why she was so hesitant to leave. Who was she to ruin all of New Directions' hard work and abandon her team when they were almost at the finish line?

There was also the problem of Jesse St._ Ew_. Rachel couldn't stand him. He was rude, oblivious, arrogant, obnoxious and most importantly, a heart-breaker. Not to mention how careless he was about all those little birds he was killing when he egged her.

_The egging_. It brought chills to Rachel. How could Jesse have been so mean to her? He obviously didn't care about her. The words, "I loved you" rang in the back of her mind, and Rachel frowned. When she looked into Jesse's eyes that day, right before he smacked the egg into her forehead, she could see that he was hurt. Tormented. Angry. In that moment, it wasn't hard to actually believe that he did truly love Rachel.

And maybe he really did.

Rachel had been thinking about Jesse quite a lot before he showed up the other day. He was different than the other guys she had dated. When she was with Jesse, Rachel felt…_secure_, and yet, _free_. Jesse made her feel protected, but at the same time, he made her feel like the sky wasn't even the limit. Rachel could do anything when she was with him. Nothing was out of her reach.

_Puck_ never made her feel that way. And as much as she hated to admit it, _Finn_ never made her feel that way.

_Oh God_. She could not possibly still have feelings for him.

Rachel shook the thought away. All this stress was getting to her. The only feelings she had for Jesse were hate and anger. Nothing more. The thought of kissing him made Rachel want to puke.

Still, it _would_ be fun to try and get him to admit that he actually did have feelings for her. And the more Rachel thought about it, the more she was absolutely certain that he really _did_ have feelings for her. Having Jesse admit those feelings would be the ultimate challenge, and she'd love to take it.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door, and Rachel sat up. Without waiting for an answer, her dads walked into the room, worried looks on both their faces.

"Sweetie, we didn't hear you singing this morning. Is something wrong?" her one dad, Hiram, asked.

"You do those vocal exercises religiously," her other dad, Leroy interjected. "What's up?"

Rachel sighed. It was probably about time she told her dads about her dilemma. Besides, she'd have to ask them anyway if she actually did decide to join the tour.

"Well," she began, "you remember that guy I used to date, Jesse?"

They nodded, and Hiram murmured, "Nice boy."

Rachel had never told them about the egging.

"He visited McKinly the other day, and he offered me a role in a show." She paused. "A _nationally touring_ show."

"Why would he do that?" Leroy asked. Both of her dads were frowning.

"The director is, um, well, she used to be the coach of Vocal Adrenaline." The thought of Shelby made her cheeks go red. Rachel never told her dads that she had actually knew who her real mom was. "She must have seen me sing at Regionals, and she wants me to play the lead in the show."

"That's a lot for a seventeen year-old to take on, don't you think?" Hiram asked.

"But Daddy, it's my dream! The show is _Funny Girl_. You know how much I've wanted to play Fanny! And it's only for six months, and Shelby would hire me a tutor, and-"

"Wait, did you just say Shelby? What's this director's name?"

"Um, I think it's Shelby Corcoran. Why?" Rachel pretended to be oblivious to her dads' tense positions.

Hiram and Leroy glanced at each other. "Oh, nothing. You said she's going to get you a tutor?"

"Yep. It'll all be perfect."

"What about New Directions?"

Rachel sighed. Anytime she got excited about the possibility of going on the tour, New Directions had to be brought up. "That's the thing…I'd feel bad leaving them. They rely on my talent _so_ much. But," she looked up at her dads, "performing professionally is my _true_ dream. And Jesse says that being in glee club doesn't mean much on theatre applications." She laid back down in bed, closing her eyes. "It doesn't matter, though. I still don't know what to do."

Leroy patted her leg. "You have to follow your dreams," he whispered.

"We believe in you, Rachel. Your father and I will have to talk over the arrangements if you plan to join _Funny Girl_, but either way, we support your decision," Hiram murmured softly, stroking Rachel's hair.

She smiled. "Thanks."

They left the room, but Rachel remained in the same position. Pros and cons swarmed throughout her mind. Images of spotlights and standing ovations passed before her eyes.

And suddenly it all made sense. She knew what she had to do.

Quickly swiping up her phone from her desk, Rachel composed a text message.

"Jesse, I don't need any more time. I want to do _Funny Girl_."

_Sent._

**A/N: Ew, this chapter is kinda short. Sorry about that. Anyway, the plot is all set up! After a chapter of saying good-bye to New Directions, Rachel will be on her way! Hope you like her decision =) Thanks for the reviews already posted; I really appreciate them. Sorry if I didn't send you a PM personally thanking you; I forget who I send them to and who I didn't send them to. Anyway, on a completely different note, Gwenyth Paltrow's "Turning Tables" cover is beautiful =D Review!**


	5. New Beginnings

**Warning: New Directions is slightly over-the-top mean in this chapter. Sorry if that angers people; it's just the way I saw it playing out in my mind.**

"_Great =) I'll tell Shelby. She'll probably email you info about rehearsals and stuff," _was Jesse's immediate response to Rachel's text. It was almost as if he_ knew_ she would say yes to the tour.

_"That's fine_," Rachel texted back.

He sent a message within seconds. _"Did you tell ND yet?"_

_"Not yet. I'll tell them tomorrow during school. Not looking forward to it =/"_

Instead of texting her back again, he opted to call. Rachel picked up on the first ring.

"Look," Jesse began, "I'm not really doing anything, so if you want, I'll come with you when you break the news to the team."

"No," Rachel interjected. "That would make it worse. It needs to be just-"

"You realize how pissed off they're going to be? You're going to need someone to have your back when they're throwing insults at you."

"They'll be happy to have me gone," Rachel muttered bitterly into the phone.

She could hear Jesse laugh. "That's a lie and you know it. They may _act_ like they want you gone, but you and I both know they need you. Besides, I know one person who'll be genuinely upset to see you go."

"Who?"

"Finn."

Rachel hesitated. "He's with Quinn now." She remembered Finn's words to her as she drove away from school the other day. "Besides, I don't care what he thinks. I don't care what any of them think."

"Woah, confident much? I know you, Rachel, and I know that you won't be able to handle them all when they lash out at you. Just let me come."

"No! I can handle them just fine on my own. You and I are going to be spending six whole months together. I don't want to see you any more than I have to."

"Ouch," Jesse said with mock hurt, "I have feelings, too. Don't you think you could've at least pretended to be happy about spending more time with me? I know I'm looking forward to it."

Rachel paused. "Just because I'm not with Finn doesn't mean I want to be with you, Jesse."

"And just because I'm also single does _not_ mean I want to be with you, Rachel. I don't understand why we can't just be friends."

This caught Rachel off-guard. She didn't expect Jesse to want to "just be friends" with her. She expected him to be begging for her to take him back. "Oh, um, that's fine." Rachel composed herself. "I was hoping you would say that."

Jesse laughed. "No you weren't. You were hoping that I'd ask you out again. Sorry to disappoint."

Her face turned red. Thank God they were on the phone and not face to face. "I was _not_ hoping that," she said angrily. "And it's about time to end this conversation before I change my mind about coming on the tour. Goodbye."

Jesse was still laughing when she hung up on him.

* * *

Rachel spent the weekend formulating her approach to telling New Directions her decision. She _could_ go gentle on them and explain to them how much they all meant to her and how she'd miss them all deeply while she was gone.

But that'd be bull.

Another option was to, like ripping off a band-aid, quickly inform them of her decision, mutter a good-bye, and leave the room as fast as possible to avoid any retaliation.

But that'd make her a coward.

The third option would be to break the news, and then to tell them all how crappy they had been treating her lately and how she'd be thrilled to finally get away from them all. She'd then happily wish them the worst of luck at Nationals and gallantly receive any outbursts of hatred they had for her, all the while letting her true feelings finally come out.

But that'd make her an asshole.

Rachel ultimately went with the fourth option.

_Wing it._

* * *

On Monday, she walked into the choir room, tightly clasping her schoolbooks to her chest. They were her only shield against the ocean of glares she received as she was taking her seat. Before anyone could say anything to her, Mr. Schu walked into the room and quickly started talking about Nationals.

"Mr. Schuester?" Rachel interrupted, setting her books down. Her shield was gone and Rachel felt an odd pang of hopelessness. "I have some news I need to share with everyone."

Mr. Schu glanced uneasily at her; Finn obviously tipped him off about what was going on. He nodded and went to sit down, leaving the floor open to her.

She walked to the center of the room, holding her head high. "As most of you have already heard," Rachel began, glaring at Finn. "I was recently offered the opportunity to star in an upcoming national tour of _Funny Girl_. The tour would keep me on the road for six months, and therefore, I'd be unable to perform at Nationals." She avoided all of her teammates gazes, instead looking at the ceiling. "I thought over everything this weekend, and well, you all mean quite a lot to me, but-"

"That's a real bitchy move, Rach!" Finn shouted, standing up.

"Finn! Sit down and let Rachel talk!" Mr. Schu glanced back at Rachel. "Continue."

"Why should she? She's ditching us, Mr. Schu," Santana said, giving Rachel a death-glare.

"Yeah. St. James must have messed with her mind," Mercedes muttered.

"Exactly. She's following in his footsteps- leaving us right when we need her most." Puck shook his head.

The attack against her continued to grow, but Rachel stood still, refusing to bicker with them.

"Guys!" Mr. Schu yelled. "Everyone be quiet! This is Rachel's time to talk."

"Okay," Finn said as everybody began to quiet down. "Go ahead, talk. It's not like we don't know what you're going to say."

Rachel took a deep breath. "Fine. I'm leaving you guys."

Everyone rolled their eyes, but she continued to talk as the insults started up again.

"I don't understand why you all can't support me! You're supposed to be my friends."

"Well right now we're your teammates. Teammates don't just abandon each other," Artie shouted accusingly.

"Teammates don't treat each other like crap either!" Rachel shot back. "You guys have _never_ appreciated me. I never get the praise I deserve. I carry this team, and I've never veen received so much as a thank you. I deserve better."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Puck asked. "We just gave you that lame trophy the other day."

Rachel laughed. "You think one piece of shiny plastic is going to make up for all the times you guys made fun of me? Whispered about me behind my back? Laughed about my looks? Sorry, it doesn't cover it." Rachel silently hated herself for letting her emotions show so easily, but she couldn't help herself.

"I hope you don't think about coming back here after your stupid tour," Lauren began. "You won't be welcome."

Rachel smirked. "After the tour, I won't need you people. In fact, I haven't ever needed you people. You all…" she paused, not being able to think of a bad enough word to call them. "…suck!"

With that, she turned and ran out of the room, her teammates laughter echoing in her ears.

* * *

As soon as she was out the door, tears came like a flash flood, and her legs wouldn't move forward anymore. She turned, hoping to at least get away from New Directions' view, but smacked into someone's chest.

"What the-?" she looked up, and through her tears, blurrily saw the face of Jesse.

"You aren't supposed to be here!" she nearly screamed. Jesse glanced nervously towards the choir room door and pulled her away.

"Shh, they're going to hear you," he muttered, dragging her down the hallway.

"If they see you, they're going to kill both of us. We're at the top of New Directions' hit list," Rachel muttered, wearily following him out of school. "Where are you taking me?"

"To my car. And then to the closest restaurant. We need a place to talk so you can tell me what happened. Plus I'm hungry."

Rachel didn't have the strength to object and at least she'd be farther away from that choir room. She got into his Range Rover and sat silently as Jesse got into the driver's seat. She tried to wipe away the tears that continued to come quietly, but it was to no avail.

Jesse started up the car and glanced at her. "Just relax," he said soothingly. "Everything is okay now."

Rachel didn't respond, and they rode in complete silence until Jesse pulled into the parking lot of "Bob's Burger Joint."

Rachel shot him a look. "I'm a ve-"

"I know," he sighed. "But if I remember correctly, there isn't another resteraunt for at least five miles, and I'm low on gas. Besides, you'll be too busy talking to eat."

Jesse got out of the car and came over to Rachel's side to open the door. "You okay to walk?" he asked.

She nodded and hopped out of the car. Inside, they found a table in the back corner of the room that would give them the privacy they needed. Once they were seated, Jesse immediately said, "Okay, I'm guessing it didn't go so well back there?"

Rachel had stopped crying, but her cheeks were tear-stained and her entire face was red. She was a mess. "That's an understatement," she muttered. "It went terrible."

"Didn't I tell you it would be?"

Rachel glared at him. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't go all 'I-told-you-so' on me. I'm not in the mood."

Jesse held up his hands. "Sorry. Continue."

Rachel shrugged. "They were all just so mean. I don't understand why they couldn't have just been supportive. They all knew that this was my dream. Especially Finn." She closed her eyes. "He called me a b-bitch." She tried to suppress a new round of tears, and she felt Jesse take her hand underneath the table.

"He's an ass. I always knew it. I never understood why you didn't."

"That's actually pretty funny," Rachel said, pulling her hand away from his. "Finn thought the same thing about you."

Jesse smirked. "I'll bet you did, too."

Rachel smiled. "Maybe.."

"Listen, I'm talking to you as a friend right now. A good friend. You are way too good for Finn- too good for all of them. You deserve so much better. You need someone who is going to support you no matter what. Someone who'll help you reach your dreams."

"We're just friends, remember?" Rachel asked warily.

"I'm not talking about me," Jesse insisted. "Look, obviously this is going to keep coming up, so we might as well talk about it now. Yes, I did love you last year. Yes, I got over it, as did you. No, I do not want you back. Yes, I think we could become really great friends if we tried. And," he took a deep breath, "yes, I'm very, _very_ sorry about what I did to you. Yes, Rachel, I'll agree with you; I acted like such an asshole last year, and I regret it immensely. I was only focused on what was best for Vocal Adrenaline and not what was best for me. If there was any way you could forgive me, it'll make everything between us so much easier."

Rachel stared at him, open-mouthed. Did the Jesse St. James really just _apologize_? She must have heard wrong.

"Being at UCLA this past year has changed me. I'm not at the top anymore, and it's brought down my ego. A lot. I want to enjoy my time with Funny Girl, and I don't want this to be hanging over us every time we talk. We're spending six months together; it's time for us to start off new, as friends."

Rachel looked down at her napkin, thinking over everything he said. A waitress came to take their orders, and Jesse ordered for both of them. "She'll just have a water, thanks."

Rachel looked up again once the waitress left. "I agree that we should start off new so I forgive you. But I don't think I'll ever be able to forget what you did to me. Maybe over time, but as of right now, no. You broke my heart, and although I'll attempt to be your friend, I'm never going to fully trust you."

Jesse sighed. "I understand and accept that. Believe me, though, over the next six months, I'll be trying to win back that trust."

Rachel smiled. "And I'll be trying to get you to admit that you actually _do_ have feelings for me."

Jesse frowned. "But I just told you that I don't."

"I think you're lying. Besides this'll give us both something to do for the next few months."

Jesse smirked. "Fine, but I don't have anything to hide. I just want to be friends."

"Sure," Rachel said sarcastically. "It's going to take an awful lot to win back my trust."

"I'm ready for the challenge."

The waitress came back with their drinks, and Jesse lifted his soda into the air.

"I toast to a new beginning," he said dramatically.

Rachel raised her glass. "To a new beginning," she said, mirroring his tone.

By the time their meal was over, she had completely forgot about New Directions. This wasn't just the new beginning of a friendship. This was Rachel Berry's new beginning.

**A/N: The idea of Jesse joining Rachel when she breaks the news to New Directions was inspired by waylandfan01. Depending on the way you percieve New Directions, they could've been very AU in this chapter. (I warned you.) In my mind, though, this is how I see them acting. Now that the whole "You egged me!" issue is (partly) resolved, Rachel and Jesse can focus on reforming their relationship, and believe me, the whole "friends" thing won't last. =) Shelby will be featured in the next chapter, and I might have her meet up with Rachel and her dads to clarify all the details on the tour. (Can't you just imagine the awkwardness?) Anyways, tell me what you think. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and remember, REVIEW! (P.S. Thanks for all the reviews submitted so far. I appreciate them sosososooo much!)**


	6. Put on a Show Face

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, Harry Potter, or the musical, *coughAVeryPotterMusicalcough*, that is mentioned in this chapter.**

Jesse insisted he accompany Rachel back to McKinley to pick up her car. Rachel accepted his offer without even attempting to refuse. After all, New Directions would be getting out of rehearsal around the same time, and she really couldn't bare another confrontation. Perhaps if they saw her with Jesse, they'd keep their distance.

Sure enough, as they pulled into the school parking lot, Rachel could see all of her ex-team members walking towards their cars. Jesse's Range Rover certainly wasn't very inconspicuous, and she could feel the glares of New Directions piercing into the back of her head. Suddenly, Rachel realized that she had parked next to Finn that morning. Her mouth growing dry, she put on her best show-face as Jesse pulled up next to her car; the same time Finn was getting into his car. He shot Rachel a look, and quickly looking around, motioned for her to join him in his car.

"Oh God," Rachel moaned, banging her head against the car's headrest. "He's just going to curse me off again."

"Then don't go," Jesse suggested. "Or better yet, let me go."

"So you could do what? Punch him? Oh yeah, that'll make things loads better."

"Well, maybe if I punched him, some common sense would reach his mind."

"He's got common sense. It's appreciation he needs. And respect. And humiliation. And-"

"Okay, I get it. Rachel, I can feel him glaring at me. You better decide what you want to do before he comes over here and takes you out of the car himself."

Rachel laughed. "You'd never let him do that."

"It wasn't meant to be taken seriously. You better get out of this car, though. Everyone'll think we're like making-out or something."

"You're disgusting," Rachel muttered as she hopped out of the car. She gave Jesse a tiny wave goodbye before walking determinedly over to Finn's car. It was time for him to get a taste of his own medicine.

"You are the biggest asshole, son-of-a-bitch, and plain jerk I have ever met in my entire life!" she shouted as she hopped into Finn's car. "I really have no idea what I ever saw in you, but-"

"Does that mean you won't go out with me?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Finn sighed. "Rach, I'm really sorry about the things I said to you today. I was angry. I didn't know what I was saying. I thought it all over, and well, I want to be your boyfriend again. I still love you."

"If you loved me, you wouldn't have said the things you did," Rachel laughed sarcastically.

"I told you I was sorry! Can we just forget about that and start over again? That's all that I want."

"You just don't want me to go on the tour! You're so predictable. I knew you were going to pull something like this. Well, it's not going to work."

"Rach, I really care about you. I do. Can't you tell?"

Rachel thought back on the last two days, and the hateful things he had said.

"_If you're doing this because you think your mom actually loves you now, it's not going to work. If she really loved you, she would've came herself today instead of sending someone else to do her dirty work."_

_"That's a real bitchy move, Rach!"_

"Sorry, I can't tell. I don't think I ever will be able to, Finn. Have a nice life," she called, out of his car within seconds. "I know I will!"

Finn's only retaliation was giving Rachel the finger, which she gladly gave right back. As she sat in her car after the whole incident, Rachel felt oddly satisfied.

* * *

As soon as Rachel was home, her phone started to buzz wildly. Looking down at the caller ID, she smiled.

"Hi Kurt, what's up?"

"It's official. My brother is the biggest jackass in the entire world! He just got home and was gloating about all the things he said to you, as if he was so amazing or something. Don't worry. I screamed my head off at him. I just felt like I still had to call you and apologize on behalf of him."

"Oh please, I'm way over it, Kurt. He's too immature for me to even think about spending precious time on. I'm glad you called, though. I take it you found out I'm going on the tour?"

"Yes!" he squealed. "Why didn't you call me? I'd rather have found out from you than the Ugly Green Giant. Oh, don't apologize, I'm just playing with you! Ahh, I'm so excited for you! I just texted Blaine and, oh wait, he just texted back. Hmm…haha! He says that you better get us tickets to the show when you're closest to Ohio! Do you think you'd actually come to Ohio? I don't really think so, I mean, it's such a small-"

"Kurt! Calm down! I think you're more happy about this than I am!"

"Oh, I am! We better stay in touch while you're on the road. Besides, I want all the juicy details about you and Jesse!"

Rachel laughed. "What are you talking about? We're just friends! We had a whole discussion about it when we went out to eat today."

"Oh God, you're already going on dates? It's going to happen sooner than I thought."

"Stop it! Although I do think Jesse has passionate feelings about _me_, _my_ feelings towards him are only platonic."

"Honey, after playing the Fanny to his Nick for six months, you'll be having tons of more feelings than just platonic ones. Trust me."

"You're totally wrong but whatever. Hey, how's it going with you and Blaine?"

"Oh, it's amazing. He's the perfect boyfriend! Although, right now he's slightly obsessed with this musical on the web. It's got something to do with Harry Potter. He tells me he just likes it for the music and jokes, but I secretly think he has a crush on the lead guy."

"Are you seriously going to get jealous of a guy Blaine's only seen over a computer screen?"

"Who says I'm jealous? I've got a crush on the guy, too! His voice is amazing!"

"Send me the link. Listen, I'm getting another call. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

After hanging up, she looked to see who was calling and smiled once again.

"Hello?"

"_Is it me you're looking for?"_ the male on the other line sang.

"You sounded a little pitchy, St. James. Are you sure you're prepared to play Nick Arnstein?"

"My pitch was spot-on, thank you very much. Our connection must be crappy. I just called to see how it went with Finn. I heard the beginning of your rant. I hope you made him speechless?"

"The opposite. He had enough to courage to ask me out again."

She could hear Jesse laugh. "Oh jeez. I'm pretty sure he _does_ need common sense, despite what you said earlier. I take it you turned him down?"

"Obviously. Who the hell does he think he is, insulting me and then asking me out all within the same day? The best is that he said he loved me, and then gave me the finger not even two minutes later."

"I trust you gave it right back to him?"

"Of course," she paused. "Should I be scared that you know me so well?"

"Nah. It's just what I would've done, and since we're so alike, I figured you would too. How do you feel now? Do you regret yelling at Finn?"

"Not at all! In fact, I couldn't be happier right now! I feel like this weight was lifted off my shoulders. It's the best feeling ever."

"Rachel, could you come downstairs to talk with us?" Leroy called from the bottom of the staircase.

"Jesse, I gotta go. I'll talk to you soon. Bye."

She threw her phone onto her bed and went to meet her dads in their kitchen. They were sitting at the dining table, and their faces were completely serious.

"Did someone die?" Rachel gasped.

"No, we're sorry if we scared you. We just wanted to talk about your upcoming tour. Why don't you take a seat?"

Rachel cautiously sat down across from her dads. "Is there a problem?"

"Honey," Hiram began, ignoring her question, "We've decided to let you go on the tour alone. Well, not technically alone. You'll have adult supervision at all times…"

"What your father means to say is that we won't be coming along," Leroy interjected.

"But I thought you guys said you'd never let me travel around the country by myself?"

"You see, Rachel, we thought it over, and we decided it was time to tell you something. We've kept it from you for a long time, but your father and I decided you're now old enough to know."

"What is it?"

"We aren't going to tell you until Ms. Corcoran arrives. We're all going to tell you together."

"Shelby? Why is she coming?"

"She's kind of a part of the secret."

Rachel's heart stopped. _Oh Jesus. They were going to tell her Shelby was her real mother._

"Daddy, Dad, I-"

Suddenly the door knocked, and Leroy went to get the door. "Save that thought," he said as he passed her. He came back within seconds, with a woman that could literally be Rachel from the future.

"Hi Shelby," Rachel whispered, looking down.

"Hi Rachel. It's good to see you again."

Rachel only nodded in response.

Hiram caught the tension between the two women and immediately said, "I realize that this is an awkward situation, what with Ms. Corcoran being the coach of the glee club that beat New Directions at Regionals, but Rachel, honey, it's time to put that in the past. A new chapter of your life is about to begin, and Shelby is going to be a big part of it."

"I agree. Besides, I don't even coach Vocal Adrenaline anymore. What do you say, Rachel? Bury the hatchet?" Shelby asked, taking a seat next to Rachel.

Looking into Shelby's eyes, Rachel realized she was implying that they forget about more than just Vocal Adrenaline beating New Directions at Regionals. She gave a weak smile. "The hatchet's buried."

Everyone at the table smiled. "Good," Hiram said, clearing his throat. Immediately getting serious, he glanced at Leroy before continuing. "Now, as you have obviously learned, Rachel, your dad and I could not possibly have given birth to you on our own. Sperm can't procreate without an egg."

"I don't need a sex-ed lesson, Dad. Can you just skip that part?" Rachel squeezed her eyes shut.

"Oh, um, of course. Well, we decided on having a surrogate carry you and contribute her…egg…to your creation."

"I'm sure you've wondered about who your mother was, dear." Leroy coughed. "I'm also sure you've noticed the similarities between you and Ms. Corcoran."

This was when the realization of Shelby being her mother was supposed to dawn on her. Except, it had already dawned on her , a year ago, and Rachel kept her eyes shut, trying to figure out the best way to react. She decided to do what she always did: put on a show.

Throwing her eyes open, she gasped, and whipped her head around to look at Shelby. "You mean…" she whispered, touching Shelby's arm.

"Yes, dear. Shelby is your mother."

Since the day had been quite emotional already, it wasn't hard to muster up tears, and before long, Rachel was practically bawling. "I just can't believe it," she cried. "All this time…"

"Are you upset? Do you want to be left alone? Rachel, what are your thoughts on this?" Leroy and Hiram began to shift uncomfortably, unsure of what to do.

"Rachel, do you want me to leave?" Shelby asked quietly, and Rachel was amused to see her playing along.

"No, I'm fine. It's just so shocking." Rachel gave a fake laugh. "Well, its reassuring to know my mother can sing!"

The whole table laughed, and Hiram and Leroy began to calm down. "Do you have any questions for us?" they asked soothingly. "Anything you want to know? Now's the time to ask. As you might be able to guess now, we are entrusting Shelby with your care while on the tour. Seeing as she's your mother, we feel as if she can do a suitable job caring for you. But if you ever need us, Rachel, we'll be ready to fly out to you at any time. Just know that we're always here for you."

Rachel spent a few moments wiping away tears and blowing her nose, and she couldn't help but think that this performance deserved some sort of reward. "Can Shelby and I talk? Alone?"

"Why don't you two go outside for some privacy?" Leroy suggested, opening the back door for them.

Once outside, Rachel threw herself onto a swing. "Ugh. That was so hard," she muttered, swaying back and forth.

Shelby came and sat next to her. "You gave the performance of a lifetime in there. I applaud you. That just gave me all the more faith in you as Fanny."

Rachel stared at her. "Is that the only reason you wanted me in the show? Because of my talent?"

Shelby sighed. "Not really. I want to apologize for the way I walked out on you last year. That was a completely immature thing to do, and I should've spent more time on our relationship. That's why I invited you to do _Funny Girl_. I want us to try and have a mother-daughter relationship. It's going to take some time, but hey, we have six months. I just hope you understand how sorry I am about everything."

Rachel inwardly laughed. This was the third apology she had received today. People were certainly feeling guilty lately. Smiling up at Shelby, she said, "I understand. And I'd actually love to try and have a real relationship with you. I have this thing about erasing the entire past when I go on this tour. It'd be great to start out new. Can I just ask you one thing?" Finn's words echoed in the back of her mind as she asked her question. "Why did you send Jesse to ask me to come on the tour? Why didn't you just come yourself?"

"Beth had a cold." Shelby shrugged. "And Jesse wanted to go."

"Ha! He does still have feelings for me!" Rachel whispered, and Shelby glanced at her, confused.

"Or he just wanted to see your reaction when he showed up at your school. That's what he told me as his reason."

"He's a good actor."

"I know. That's why I cast him."

Rachel and Shelby looked at each other, and burst out into a fit of laughter. "We're going to have a good time on this tour," Shelby smiled.

"Yeah, we will," Rachel whispered, staring at her mom.

Now, Rachel had kissed many different boys before. She had cried in her fathers' arms and poured her heart out to friends. She even managed to get rid of the one thing that was weighing her down. Yet, as her and Shelby wrapped their arms around each other, she discovered that there was nothing that was more satisfying than just hugging her mom.

**A/N:**

**Yes, Blaine has a crush on Darren Criss. ( Oh, the irony. I love it!) Really, who wouldn't, though? I just finished watching the new Team Starkid musical, _Starship_, and felt the need to include some sort of reference to the wonder that is the AVPM fandom. If you haven't seen A Very Potter Musical, I suggest you do.**

**I was so amazed at the response for the last chapter! The reviews, favorites, and alerts are fabulous! I love them. Keep it up! I especially love those reviews, and to anyone who is going to review this chapter, let me just say, YOU ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! (AVPM reference ;P) Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll say it once more, show the love by REVIEWING!**


	7. One of Those Days

**Note**: During the texting section of this chapter, Rachel's texts are **bold** and Jesse's are in _italics_.

_This chapter is in honor of the return of Jonathan Groff on Glee =D My lack of St. Berry syndrome will soon be cured!_

* * *

"_Rehearsals start tomorrow. Come to the Ohio State Theatre. We start at 7:00 AM."_

That was the only thing written in the e-mail Shelby had sent Rachel the morning after her visit. They had talked for what seemed like hours the night before, relaying stories of glee club experiences, Shelby discussing her past, and Rachel discussing her future. Mostly, they just enjoyed each other's company. For once in Rachel's life, everything was working out.

Soon after Shelby left, the phone had rang, and Hiram had given it to Rachel with a confused look on his face.

"Rachel, its Mr. Schue," the voice in the phone began. "What happened in glee club today was completely uncalled for, and I apologize for the behavior of New Directions. I felt so awful about what happened, and I tried to find you after you ran out of the room, but it was like you disappeared out of thin air. I want you to know that I fully support you with your decision to join _Funny Girl_. Heck, if I had that kind of offer when I was your age, I wouldn't have even put my fellow glee members into consideration as you did."

"Thanks, Mr. Schu. I really appreciate what you're saying, but I don't think I'll ever be able to fully forgive New Directions for what they did to me. The whole debacle is still pretty fresh in my mind, you know?"

"I completely understand. It was bothering me, though, and I knew I had to at least call you. Listen, Rachel, I'm late for a date with Emma so I better be going, but I wish you the best of luck on the tour. Don't forget to thank your old Glee Club advisor when you're accepting a Tony, okay?"

Rachel laughed. "You got it, Mr. Schu."

After Rachel hung up the phone, Hiram pressed her for details of the conversation. "Honey, is it about your grades in Spanish? I told you we should've hired that tutor. So what if she just came out of jail?"

"Daddy! It's fine. Mr. Schuester just called to wish me good luck with the tour. I'm going to bed. It's late."

"Okay, but are you sure you don't want me to call that tutor? I saved her number!"

* * *

The next morning, Rachel was looking over Shelby's e-mail when suddenly, her cellphone vibrated. Looking at the caller-ID, she flipped the phone open and read the message.

_The cast of FG is meeting up for lunch today. Can you make it? –JSJ_

Rachel frowned. Realization began to dawn on her. As a replacement, she would be the odd one out in the cast. She'd be the one they'd have to explain inside jokes to. The one who wouldn't have a partner for dance warm-ups. The one who always stood by herself during the vocal exercises. _Oh God_. How would she be able to survive like that for six whole months?

_**Jesse, I'm not sure I'm willing to meet the cast just yet. For that matter, I'm not sure the cast wants to meet me. **_

She sat nervously as she waited for his reply, jumping when the phone finally buzzed.

_What the hell are you talking about? Of course they want to meet you! I wasn't going to even invite you until they insisted I do. _

Rachel rolled her eyes before texting a quick reply. _**Liar.**_

Jesse responded within seconds.

_Ugh. Well, even if that was a lie, you should still come. You're going to have to meet these people at some point, Rach. _

She bit her lip. Jesse was right; she'd have to meet the cast at some point. But did it really have to be so soon?

**I'm nervous**, she texted.

_Then you must've changed because the Rachel I used to know NEVER got nervous. _

_**Don't start with that crap, Jesse. People change.**_

_And yet how do I remain so utterly handsome and charming?_

_**You don't. You weren't so "utterly charming" when you were cracking an egg on my forehead. Ring a bell?**_

_Does "new beginning" ring a bell? Rachel, you said you'd drop that. _

_**You started it. **_

…_.Are you coming to lunch?_

_**No. I'll just meet the cast at rehearsal tomorrow.**_

Rachel waited for a reply, but after ten minutes of staring at her phone, she gave up. _He must just be pissed at me_, she thought. Rachel carried on with her daily schedule which basically consisted of vocal, dance, and acting exercises. After eating a lunch consisting of a vegan salad and water, Rachel was about to put in her _Funny Girl_ DVD when the doorbell rang. Normally, Rachel wasn't allowed to answer the door when her dads weren't home, but whoever was ringing the bell wouldn't let up.

Flinging the door open, Rachel shouted, "I have a rape whistle!" before noticing the mass of brown curls staring down at her. "Jesse," she began cautiously, taking a step back into her house, "if you think you're bringing me to lunch with you…what the hell?"

Jesse lunged for her torso, but Rachel swiftly manuevred out of the way.

"I just told you that I carry a rape whistle!"

"Rachel, you're coming to lunch with me. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Funny," she said, glaring at him. "I choose neither. You better get going or you'll be late for your lunch date."

"I prefer to be fashionably late," Jesse said, trying to grab Rachel's arm. "Why won't you just come?"

"I don't want to! You can't force me to go. I'll call the cops on you, or worse, my dads."

"You'd never do that to me, Rach. You love me too much," he smirked.

"I think you're confusing "love" with "hate"," Rachel muttered, this time unsuccessfully dodging his outstretched arm. He pulled her hand around his neck, and gracefully knelt down to pick her up off of her feet.

"Jesse! I swear to God you better put me down! I'm going to kill you. I am seriously going to kill you!" Rachel screamed at him as he walked them to his Range Rover. He deposited her in the passenger seat before hopping into the driver's seat.

"Would you just stop whining?" Jesse asked. "This is going to be fun, and you're going to thank me after it's all over."

"Doubt it," Rachel murmured, keeping her head down as Jesse put the car into drive.

"Oh, come on! Would you feel better if I told you that most of the cast is vegan? It's some sort of obsession, I guess. That's why we're not actually going out to a restaruent to eat. Everyone decided to meet up at the park for a picnic, and each person is going to bring their own type of vegan food."

Rachel gasped. "And I'm going to look completely ridiculous because I don't have anything to bring! You did this to me purposely, didn't you?"

"Relax! I brought two dishes. One for me, and one for you."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Were you really that confident as to assume I'd actually _come_ with you to this lunch?"

He smiled. "You're here, aren't you?"

"Against my own will!" Rachel screeched.

"Well, let's not think about the particulars, okay? Besides, we're here."

Rachel looked through the window and saw that they were pulling into the parking lot of Akron Valley Park. Up ahead there were a bunch of picnic blankets set up, and Rachel groaned.

"There are _so_ many people."

"You're not even going to get to talk to half of them," Jesse replied. "I'm just going to introduce you to the people I'm friends with. But if you want to go off and make friends on your own…"

"No! That's fine. Uhm. Let's just get this over with," Rachel said quietly, eyeing all the people by the blankets.

Jesse and Rachel made their way slowly over, with Rachel a few steps behind Jesse. A tall man spotted the two and motioned for them to come over.

"Caleb! Hey man, mind if we crash on your picnic blanket? I forgot to bring one. By the way, this is Rachel. She's taking over the part of Fanny." Jesse pushed Rachel forward to shake hands with the man. He was completely bald, and verging on albino. His black glasses boldly stuck out against his skin.

"So this is Rachel!" Caleb said excitedly. "Shelby has told me so much about you! I look forward to working with you. Now, why don't we all sit down and chat for a while?"

Rachel smiled politely and casually sat down next to Jesse on the blanket. Jesse placed the food he had brought in the center of them and gently patted Rachel's arm. "See?" he whispered to her. "This isn't going to be all that bad."

"Oh my God! Is that Jesse St. James? Did he really come here and NOT say hi to me? Wow." A red-headed girl came running over to their blanket and threw herself down on the other side of Jesse.

"Marisa, would you stop being so obnoxious? Jesse just got here." Caleb rolled his eyes and gave Rachel a sympathetic look. "Marisa is our choreographer. Marisa, this is Rachel. She's the Fanny replacement."

Rachel leaned over Jesse to shake her hand, and she could see Marisa eyeing her up and down. "You told me you weren't dating anyone, Jesse," Marisa muttered.

He glanced at Rachel. "I'm not dating her, Marisa. We've just known each other for a while."

"Ah," Marisa said quietly, still staring at Rachel. "noted. Well, Rachel, welcome to the cast. I hope you're a good dancer."

Rachel smirked. "I won my first dance competition at two years old."

Marisa glared at her. "What a shame. I won my first one at 18 months."

Jesse shifted uncomfortably beside Rachel. "Marisa, I think Jenna is calling you over," he said loudly.

Marisa jumped up and ran off without saying goodbye.

"Dear God," Rachel muttered under her breath. "She's worse than I am."

Caleb laughed. "I like you, Rachel. You'll fit in just fine around here. See, nobody likes Marisa. She's a bitch."

"A bitch who wants to hook up with me," Jesse moaned.

"So that's why she was acting like she was jealous of me. You better watch out for her, Jesse. She seems kinda sneaky."

"I already know that, Rach. Look, Doris is coming over. You'll definitely like her."

A young girl around Rachel's age came running up to them. Her hair was cut short, and she had dirt all over her knees.

"Hi Jesse, Caleb, er, person."

"Rachel," Caleb interjected. "Her name's Rachel. She's the new Fanny."

Doris brightened up at his words. "Oh! That's so awesome! Hi, I'm Doris. The name's ridiculous, but my mom was obsessed with Doris Day. Excuse my appearance, I was just teaching some of the guys how to _really_ play kickball."

Rachel smiled. "Wait, so does that make you a fan of Doris Day, too?"

Doris laughed. "Of course! Although, I couldn't see how you _wouldn't_ be a fan of hers. I mean, she's just _so_ great! Don't tell me you're a fan, too?"

"One of the biggest," Rachel exclaimed. "What's your favorite movie of hers?"

"Uh, Jesse, we better leave these two alone. I think my ears are going to bleed from all this shouting. Feel like playing some b-ball?"

Jesse stood up, looking down at Rachel. "We have to leave in exactly one hour. I have to make sure you're home before your dads get back from work. I don't think they'll be appreciative of my kidnapping you."

Rachel nodded and turned back to Doris. "Doris Day only comes in second to Barbra Streisand. I mean…"

The two girls remained deep in conversation, discussing topics from Doris Day's best movies to the worst parts of _Grease 2_. Rachel was sincerely upset when Jesse came and told her it was time to go.

"Are you sure we have to go so soon? My dads are probably stuck in traffic…"

"I don't want to risk it, Rach. We have to leave. Say goodbye to your new friend and meet me at the car." Jesse waved goodbye to Doris and headed back to the car. Rachel watched as Marisa tackled him into a bear hug, making him drop all the left-over food he was carrying.

Doris snorted. "She's a total slut," she muttered, motioning to Marisa. "By the end of this tour, I'll bet she'll have slept with every guy in this cast. Starting with Jesse."

Rachel's face turned a light shade of red, and she cast her eyes down to the ground. Doris stared at her, wide-eyed. "Wait…do you like Jesse?"

"No!" Rachel shouted, a little too loud. "We're just friends. I just, um, don't want him to get hurt."

Doris laughed. "Jesse seems like a sturdy guy. I doubt anything could hurt him. Ugh. He's looking right at us. And he's motioning to his watch. Hey, let me write down my cell number for you. Make sure to text me later!"

* * *

The ride back to Rachel's house was mostly silent. Rachel was contemplating whether or not to bring up Marisa. She didn't know why, but something about that girl really ticked her off. Rachel could tell she had a huge crush on Jesse, and for some reason, that really bothered her. Rachel also knew, though, that she, Rachel Berry, was not developing deeper feelings for Jesse. That could not possibly happen because…well, it couldn't.

Finally, Rachel couldn't hold it back any longer. "You don't like Marisa either?"

Jesse rolled his eyes. "She's so annoying. I just wish she'd leave me alone, you know? Give me some personal space."

"Yeah," Rachel murmured, looking out the window. She didn't know what else to say, and the rest of the ride was spent in total silence. When they got back to her house, Rachel's dads still weren't home.

"Yes! We made it back in time. Do you want me to come inside with you?" Jesse asked, coming around to open her door.

Rachel shrugged. "If you want."

Jesse led her up the front walk, and taking the key from Rachel, opened the door for her. "I don't really know if I should be here when your dads really do come home."

Rachel laughed. "They don't know anything about what happened last year. They actually like you, still."

"You never told them about what happened?" Jesse frowned.

"Nah, I was too embarrassed," Rachel shrugged, taking a seat at her kitchen table.

"What were you embarrassed of?" Jesse asked, sitting across from her.

Rachel twirled a piece of her hair. "My lack of judgment," she whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

"I trusted you. I thought you'd never break my heart. There was no doubt in my mind that you were my soulmate. I was stupid," Rachel muttered, picking a pretend piece of lint off of her sweater.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Jesse slammed his fist on the table.

"God! What are you trying to do? Scare the crap out of me?" Rachel shouted.

"I am an asshole. A complete jackass. Why the hell do I even deserve to be around you after what I did? After the pain I caused you?" Jesse jumped up. "I gotta go," he muttered, storming out of the house, ignoring Rachel's pleas to stay.

* * *

She texted him, left messages on his phone, and on a whim, wrote on his Facebook Wall. Yet, no reply. Rachel couldn't help but think that this was all her fault.

At dinner, Rachel sat in silence and ate her food as quickly as possible. In the middle of the meal, her phone had started ringing, and Rachel ran to retrieve it. It was only a text from Doris, though, and Rachel threw the phone back down.

"Rachel, you know that we don't answer our phones during mealtime," Leroy chasitised.

"I know, Dad," Rachel said miserably, sitting back down.

"Is everything okay?" Hiram questioned.

Rachel sighed. "It's just one of those days."

_Why did it always seem to be "one of those days"?_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Before I start my crazy spazz attack: I had severe writer's block while writing this. And well, it's not my favorite chapter. Now this story will enter fast-foward mode, and I'm thinking that after one chapter filled with moments from rehearsals, we'll skip ahead to opening night of Funny Girl! Sound good? Thanks so much for reading, and I have to say, I LOVE all the reviews I'm getting. Please, keep them coming!

**Spazz attack time!: **YESYESYESYES! JON GROFF IS COMING BACK TONIGHT AND ALL WILL FINALLY BE WELL! Did anyone see the sneak peak of Jesse talking to Rachel about how he's sorry about what he did? And when he asks what she's doing for prom? WOW! I nearly had a heart attack. I even had a BIGGER fake heart attack when I saw the scene of them singing Rolling in the Deep (which was just released today)! I couldn't ask for anything more perfect...well...actually I could. It would've been a little better if Rachel actually took Jesse's hand during that one part..and you know..smiled? But hey, I can only ask for so much! At least they were singing together! Now, depending on the way tonight's episode goes, I either have a hate letter or a love letter to the Glee writers, which I may or may not include in next chapter's Note. Or maybe I'll just wait to respond to reviews until tomorrow and include it there. I dunno. You tell me which is better! Ahhh! SPAZZSPAZZSPAZZ. **The End =)**


	8. Kiss Me

"Guys! We have a month until _Funny Girl_ opens in California! Can we all focus, please?" Shelby called from the back of the Ohio State Theatre. It was the first day of rehearsals, and things weren't going well. Marisa was trying to teach Rachel the choreography to "Don't Rain on My Parade", but she was moving too fast for Rachel to keep up. On purpose, in Rachel's personal opinion.

Meanwhile, the rest of the cast was trying to learn the lyrics to all of their songs with Shelby. It seemed as if they all had over-dosed on caffeine before arriving at the theatre, though, because they could _no_t concentrate on anything. Shelby was ready to tear all of her hair out.

"You saw how fast I got a replacement for Marlene," Shelby shouted, motioning to Rachel, "and I can find replacements for all of you just as fast. You're going to sing this song, and you're going to sing it correctly! Take it from the top."

Rachel inwardly laughed at Shelby's handling of the situation. Rachel would've reacted the exact same way. God, they were so alike.

"Rachel! What the hell are you day-dreaming about? We have a show to put on! Did you even see the last five steps I showed you?" Marisa screeched.

Rachel just shot her a glare and proceeded to perform the dance steps Marisa had just taught her.

"Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Are you sure you even took dance classes? You didn't even point your toes!"

"She did fine, Marisa. I was watching the entire thing." Jesse stood up from where he was sitting in the front row. "Don't you think you're being a little hard on her?"

"Jesse, this is a nationally-touring show. It's the best of the best! Perfection is of upmost importance, and what I just saw was _not_ perfection."

"Well, I'd assume Rachel is a little tired. I mean, you've been pushing her pretty hard this entire time. Why don't you guys take a water break?"

Marisa just rolled her eyes. "Fine. Do whatever you want," she spat, marching offstage.

Rachel smiled gratefully at Jesse. "Thanks."

Jesse shrugged. "You kind of looked like you were going to pass out. We couldn't have our star down on the job, now could we?"

Rachel let out a small laugh. "Jesse, can we please talk about what happened yesterday? I feel like it's my fault…"

"Rach, it's not your fault. Why would you even think that? I just got angry with myself."

"You didn't answer any of my calls or texts."

Jesse cast his eyes down. "I wasn't ready to talk to you. Look, can we just forget it happened?"

"It's kinda hard to forget something that happened less than twenty-four hours ago, Jesse."

"Well, what do you want me to say? Do you want me to apologize? How many times will I have to apologize before you stop bringing this up?"

"Why are you freaking out? I just want everything between us to be normal again!"

"Rachel, it was never normal between us," Jesse whispered, his eyes piercing into Rachel's.

" 'You Are Woman, I Am Man'! I want to see it up on stage. Now," Shelby called out.

Rachel stared silently at Jesse as he slowly made his way up to the stage, taking his place next to Rachel. She wanted to say something more to him, but her mind was at a lack for words. Suddenly, the music began, and Rachel put on her showface.

"_You are woman, I am man_," Jesse began to sing, holding his arms out to Rachel. She slowly retreated across the stage, her eyes on his the entire time. Just listening to Jesse's voice made her feel like she had died and gone to heaven. "_Let's kiss_," Jesse finished his verse, grabbing Rachel and leaning in to kiss her.

She jumped away and started singing, "_Isn't this the height of nonchalance, furnishing a bed in restaurants?"_ Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw the rest of the cast watching Jesse and her, some of them with their mouths wide opened. Well, they_ did_ sound phenomenal. "_Though most girls slip in ordinary ways, I got style. I do it bordelaise_," Rachel continued to sing, and then her heart began to beat faster. This was the part where Jesse was supposed to kiss her. She definitely was _not_ ready for that yet, and Jesse must have picked up on her fright, because he motioned for her to just keep singing.

"_Well at least you think I'm special…"_

"What the HELL?" Shelby shouted, and the music quickly cut-off. "You two_ know_ you're supposed to kiss at that part. Why didn't you?"

Rachel blushed and Jesse stood silent, playing with his hands.

"You two are going to be kissing each other every night for six months straight! You need to get over whatever issues you two have with each other and freaking lock lips!" Shelby paused for a moment. "Now!"

Some of the cast members who were watching started to chant, "Kiss! Kiss!" and Rachel wanted to just disappear. She closed her eyes, and tried to transport herself out of the theatre, but she knew she failed when she felt Jesse's hand on her arm. Looking up at him, Rachel couldn't breathe. "Jesse," she whispered frantically. "We can't…we can't do this!"

He looked at her, abnormally calm. "We have to," Jesse whispered back, and all too fast, his lips were on hers. Rachel's legs buckled slightly, but Jesse's arms held her up. He pulled her against him, and Rachel unconsciously put her arms around his neck. Now she _knew_ she had really died and gone to heaven. Nothing as fantastic as this kiss would exist on earth. Her desire to deepen the kiss was conflicted with her desire to scream and run away, so Rachel just kept her lips against Jesse's, letting him decide on the course of action.

The only move he made, though, was breaking the kiss off. Jesse took a step away from Rachel, pushing his brown curls off of his forehead. Rachel stood still, trying to process what just happened. She had just kissed Jesse. St. James. And she _enjoyed_ it. What had this world come to?

The cheers of her cast members brought Rachel back to reality, and she quickly regained her composure. Clearing her throat, she called out to Shelby with mock care, "Was that satisfying enough, dear director?"

"Perfect!" Shelby responded. "So good that I'm giving you both a break while the rest of the cast practices the dance for 'His Love Makes Me Beautiful'. Marisa? I think your fellow dancers will need a little refresher on how it goes…"

Rachel followed Jesse offstage, and watching him exit the theatre through a back door. She didn't know whether to stay put or follow him. Her curiosity led her to picking the latter, and opening the door, found Jesse sitting on an old porch swing. He was staring at the ground and seemed to be talking to himself.

"Um, hey," Rachel said, walking over to him. Jesse glanced up at her and frowned. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Rachel shrugged. "Just getting some fresh air. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Jesse didn't respond, and they stood/sat in an awkward silence.

"Can I, uh, sit down?" Rachel asked quietly, avoiding eye contact. Taking his shrug as a definite yes, she sat down next to him. "You know, people who sit on swings usually, you know, swing a little? Like kick their feet back and forth. It's fun."

Jesse shot her a look from the corner of his eye. "Be my guest," he said.

"Wait, what?" she asked, confused.

"Go ahead and swing. Nobody is stopping you," he muttered.

Rachel snorted. "If you expect me to be able to swing both of us, you're out of your mind." Without thinking about it, she poked his stomach. "You've put on quite a few pounds since the last time I saw you."

Jesse smiled, and Rachel silently thanked God. "Are you implying I'm fat, Ms. Berry?" Jesse asked with mock hurt.

"Slightly over-weight is the way I'd put it, Mr. St. James."

"Well, I'm offended."

"Maybe if you stopped eating so many of those mini-donuts, you wouldn't be put into the position to be offended."

Jesse laughed. "I could never stop eating those things. They're so good. Have you ever had the chocolate ones? Oh my God. They're so delicious."

"If you're going to keep eating them, you better be ready to embrace the fact that you're getting on the heavy side," Rachel laughed.

The conversation ended, then. Not knowing what else to say, the two of them sat in a comfortable silence, staring up at the magnolia trees surrounding the theatre.

"That kiss," Jesse started, and Rachel's palms began to sweat, "was good. We kept it very professional."

Rachel cleared her throat. "Yeah, really professional. Although I think you let your guard down for a sec, Jesse. I could've sworn that you were actually _enjoying_ kissing me. Care to admit any hidden feelings?"

"Funny. On the contrary, I thought you were very much enjoying our little lip-lock. Oh, don't roll your eyes at me. I saw you frown when I broke it off."

"That's a complete lie, and you know it!" Rachel shouted.

Jesse smirked. "Whatever you say."

Rachel sighed. "Is everything okay between us again?"

Jesse nodded. "Yeah. Sorry for my little spazz attack before."

"Oh it's fine. You'll be dealing with a million of those from me throughout this tour."

"Oh, can't wait," Jesse muttered sarcastically, standing up. "We better head back inside. I can hear Marisa screaming our names. She won't be happy if she finds us out here. Together."

"Why do you care what she thinks about us?" Rachel murmured, walking towards the theatre door.

"I don't need rumors to start about us. Especially after we just got our relationship back on track."

Rachel nodded quietly, but she couldn't help but think that Jesse was hiding something from her.

Sure enough, as they entered the theatre, Rachel could hear Marisa wildly screaming for the both of them. "Rachel? Jesse? Where are you two? We have a dance to rehearse!"

"Right here," Jesse called, dragging Rachel onstage with him.

"Oh," Marisa smiled at him, "perfect. Well, why don't we take 'Don't Rain on My Parade' from the top again? Maybe you'll actually get it right this time, Rachel."

Rachel just glared at her. "Ignore Marisa" Jesse whispered in her ear as he passed. "You've been doing it perfectly this entire time."

"Jesse! Since you're not in this number until the very end, come stand next to me. We can watch them perform and point out all of their mistakes."

Rachel gritted her teeth together, trying to ignore the way Marisa puffed up her chest as Jesse walked over to her. _Doris was right_, Rachel thought. Wait…where was Doris? Rachel hadn't seen her the entire rehearsal.

"Where's Doris?" she asked.

"Didn't you hear? Her little brother got into a car accident this morning. She's with him at the hospital," an ensemble member told Rachel.

"What?" Rachel screamed. "Why did no one tell me? I have to call her! I have to make sure everything is okay!" Rachel stormed off the stage, running towards her pocketbook lying in the back of the theatre.

"Rachel," Marisa called. "Shelby put me in charge while she went to pick up Beth from daycare! You have to do what I say, and I say 'get back on stage'!"

"Give me a minute!" Rachel shouted, searching for her phone. She felt so terrible that she hadn't called Doris sooner. What kind of friend must she look like? Successfully finding her cellphone, Rachel dialed Doris's number as she exited the theatre for privacy.

"Ugh. Water break, everyone!" she heard Marisa say as she shut the theatre door behind her.

Doris picked up on the first ring. "Rach?" she asked, her voice thick with tears.

"I'm so sorry I didn't call sooner, Doris! I had no idea what happened until a couple of minutes ago! How's your brother doing?"

"He's not that good," Doris sighed. "The doctor said he'll live, but…" Doris burst out into tears. "He broke a bunch of ribs and his spinal cord is all messed up…he may never walk again, Rach."

Doris's crying brought tears to Rachel's own eyes, but she willed them away.

"Doris, listen," Rachel began. "You need to believe everything is going to be okay. If you believe, anything can happen. Now, I don't know your brother, but I bet he's just as strong as you. Well, if that's the case, then I know for a fact that he'll find a way to walk again. He won't let this injury bring him down."

"Mmm," Doris murmured. "You're right. Jack is strong, even if he's only fourteen. He'd never let anything stop him from playing baseball again. God, Rach, thank you so much for calling me."

"Look, if you need anything, Doris…"

"No, it's fine. Everything is okay right now. My parents are flying back from Hawaii right now. They were on vacation for their wedding anniversary. I told them not to leave the trip, but they insisted. I feel so awful doing that to them. Ugh. Now, I just don't know if I'll be able to come back to the tour."

"Doris, the tour is the last thing you need to be worried about right now! Focus on Jack. I'll tell Shelby everything; I'm sure she'll understand. Besides, maybe everything will work out and you'll be able to come back afterall."

"Thanks so much, Rachel. Jack's waking up from surgery now. I gotta go. Thanks again for making me feel better."

Rachel hung up the phone, inserting it in her dress pocket. Her conversation with Doris had shaken her. Rachel couldn't stop imagining one of her dads or friends lying in a hospital bed, unconscious, breathing through an oxygen tank… "Get with it!" she screamed to herself. "You've got to go back into that theatre and dance your ass off! Think about all of this later!"

Taking a moment to perform some deep breathing exercises, Rachel walked back into the theatre. "Guys, I'm sor-"

Rachel's breathing stopped. Her face turned red. Unable to close her now opened mouth, Rachel could only stare wide-eyed at the sight in front of her.

Sitting in the back row of the theatre were Marisa and Jesse. Kissing.

* * *

**A/N: Oooh, cliffhanger! Those are always fun! First off, I want to say that last week's 'Prom Queen' episode was AWESOME! I nearly had a heart attack when I saw Jesse necking Rachel. Of course, though, Finn had to go and screw that up. That crazy, giant, psychotic, jealous idiot. I've got high hopes for next week's 'Funeral' episode, though. Especially after the one-second clip of Jesse leaning in to kiss Rachel. *squeal* You know, though, that either Rachel is going to pull away or someone is going to interrupt them. I have no doubt the Glee writers would make us suffer like that. **

**Thanks so much for the reviews I've already gotten! You guys amaze me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, but you know, you could always tell me in a, what's the word? Oh yeah: REVIEW! =)**


	9. California, Here We Come!

_Run away? Walk back to the stage and pretend I didn't see them? Call them out for their complete un-professionalism?_ These were the thoughts running through Rachel's mind as she stood, rooted in place, staring at the horrid sight in front of her.

Marisa was straddling Jesse as she, from what Rachel could tell, tried to devour Jesse's face with her mouth. Just as Rachel was about to turn away, she saw Jesse disconnect himself from the crazy red-head.

"I can't do this," she heard him gasp.

"Yes, you can," Marisa murmured, leaning into him.

Jesse shifted in the plush theatre seat. "We're co-workers. You're not supposed to have relationships with coworkers."

"Who gives a crap? Jesse, come on. I _want_ you."

"No. I can't do this to-" Jesse's eyes landed on Rachel, who still didn't have the strength to move her legs. Not knowing what to do, she raised her arm and gave a weak wave. _What the hell am I doing?_ she thought.

Marisa, noticing Jesse's stare, turned around and sneered when she saw Rachel. "What are you doing here? Don't you have better things to do than to watch people kiss?" she laughed. "I bet this is the first time you've actually seen two people make-out."

"Leave her alone, Marisa." Jesse muttered, pushing her off of him.

"For your information," Rachel started, regaining movement in her body, "I've actually kissed those same lips yours were just on. Numerous times."

"Kissing him for a musical doesn't count, Berry." Marisa rolled her eyes, trying to flatten her tangled mess of hair.

"Oh, Jesse didn't tell you?" Rachel asked innocently, shooting Jesse a glare. "We dated last year. And got pretty serious, too."

"She's making this up, right?" Marisa turned to Jesse, frowning.

"It's the truth," Jesse shrugged. "I loved her."

Rachel laughed. "I thought I loved you, too. Until you crushed an egg on my head. I'd watch out, Marisa. Once you get close to him, he'll just break your heart."

"I told you my reasons, Rachel," Jesse said harshly, jumping up. "I thought we just had a conversation about not bringing this up anymore."

"Oh, I'm over it, Jesse. I just thought it'd be nice to warn my fellow female about a certain male's unkind ways."

"Why are you acting like this? I thought we were finally on the right track again!" Jesse spat. Marisa was staring back and forth between the two of them.

"I don't know, Jesse! I'm just angry, okay? Why would you kiss her when you know how much she hates me? I thought you cared about me more than that."

"He can do whatever he wants!" Marisa shouted.

"Stay out of this," Jesse shot at Marisa.

"You can't let her boss you around, Jesse!"

"You can't tell me what to do, either, Marisa. Can you please just go away right now? I'll call you later."

Rachel could feel Marisa glaring at her as she got up and made her way down to the stage. Once she was out of ear-shot, Jesse asked, "Are you jealous?"

"No!" Rachel said quickly, blushing slightly.

"I just thought that might be why you were so mad."

"I care about you, Jesse. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can take care of myself, thanks," Jesse muttered.

"You deserve someone better than her."

"Can you just let me make my own choices?"

"Stop acting like an asshole!"

"Then stop being a bitch!"

Rachel's retort was lost as her mind brought her back to the day Finn called her that same word. "You're just like him," she whispered.

"Rach, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I just don't understand why you're so upset. Maybe I am rushing into things with Marisa. But she's not as bad as you think."

"Or maybe she's just playing you," Rachel murmured, staring at the floor.

"I'll be the judge of that."

"Yeah, you'll probably be good at figuring her out. Besides, you've played quite a few people in your time, too."

"Are we starting this again?"

"Nope," Rachel began, "but I told you I wouldn't be forgetting about it anytime soon."

Jesse sighed. "I'm not cutting Marisa out of my life. Believe me, I thought she was a complete bitch before I got to know her, too. Now, though…"

"Now what?"

"I don't know," Jesse admitted. "I guess I just have to take things more slowly."

"You think?" Rachel snorted. "You haven't even known her that long."

"No need to rub in my lack of judgement, Rachel," he said with a smile.

"Well, it's just that moments like these so scarcely arise. How many people can say they've seen Jesse St. James actually admit to making a mistake?"

"Probably only one," Jesse smirked, pointing at her. "Now come on, we've got a show to put on."

"Everything is okay between us, right?" Rachel whispered as thye made their way back to the stage.

"Course," Jesse replied, taking Rachel's hand and giving it a squeeze.

* * *

From then on, everything seemed to go in fast-forward mode. Rehearsals began to go by quickly. Shelby had announced that Doris would be returning to the show, but towards the middle of the tour. Marisa continued to pick on Rachel, but Rachel learned to ignore all of her insults. Jesse and Rachel grew closer with every rehearsal, although it still seemed like there was an invisible wall between the two of them. Rachel had the part of Fanny Brice down within the first two weeks of practice, and by the time rehearsals ended, she was confident in her performance.

The day finally arrived when she made her way to the airport with a ticket to California clutched tightly in her hand. Sitting in the backseat of her dads' mini-van, Rachel said goodbye to Ohio for the final time.

"Honey, you packed your toothbrush, right?" Hiram asked.

"Yes, Daddy, I packed everything. You can stop asking me," Rachel groaned.

"I just can't believe you'll be gone for six whole months," Leroy sighed. "Our little girl has grown up."

"And look, we're already at the airport. Oh God, Leroy, I'm going to cry."

Leroy patted his husband on the back. "Stay strong. It'll be fine. Shelby is going to take good care of her."

"You're right," Hiram sighed. "Now what gate am I supposed to go to?"

"Number Five," Rachel called. "And guys, I'm going to call you every night, so there's nothing to worry about. Plus, I'll probably be texting you throughout the day."

"That'll be the only way I'll remain sane, sweetie. But if you ever want to come home, just call anytime and we'll be on a plane to pick you up."

"Thanks," Rachel smiled. "Look, there's Shelby."

They pulled up to the curb of the airport, and Rachel hopped out, running over to Shelby.

"Where's everyone else? Am I late? Am I too early? Dad! I told you we should've left a half hour earlier!"

"Relax," Shelby insisted. "Everyone is at the terminal. You're right on time. I just came out here to make a call to the California theatre."

"Oh thank God," Rachel muttered, turning to her dads. "I guess you're going to have to leave me here."

Hiram and Leroy enveloped her into a huge hug, and it took all Rachel had to keep from crying. "I'll call you when the plane lands," she whispered, kissing them on the cheek. "I'll miss you both."

She watched as Hiram and Leroy made their way back to the van, waving to them as they drove off.

"I didn't think it'd be this hard to leave them," Rachel admitted to Shelby as they made their way through the airport.

After checking Rachel's bags and making their way through security, the two arrived at the terminal where the rest of the cast was seated. Rachel spotted Jesse sitting at the end of the row of seats, and she made her way over to him. Marisa was nowhere in sight.

"Excited?" Rachel asked as she sat down next to him.

Jesse shrugged. "Kinda. I'm just pissed we had to wake up this early to be here."

"It's ten o' clock in the morning, Jess."

"I never wake up before twelve."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Just be happy we're finally getting out of Ohio."

"I'm already out of Ohio. If you recall, I currently attend college in California."

"That's right…wait. How can you do this show if you're in college?"

"They're letting me take courses online. UCLA is very understanding when it comes to performing outside of the school. They encourage you to take any opportunity that should arise."

Rachel felt her phone buzz against her jeans. "Let me take this," she told Jesse, glancing at the Caller-ID.

"Hello?"

"Honey! If it wasn't for Facebook, I wouldn't have even known you were leaving today! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Kurt, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot to call you. My life's been crazy this past month."

"Oh, I can imagine. Now listen, I have to meet Blaine at Breadstix in…uh, now. But I just wanted to wish you luck. When's opening night again?"

"Day after tomorrow."

"Well, I'll call you again then. Oh, and make sure to get me two tickets to the show closest to Ohio! Best of luck, sweetie! Ta-ta!"

"Kurt's much more supportive than his step-brother," Jesse pointed out after the phone call.

"A lot of people are more supportive than Finn," Rachel replied.

"Did any other New Directions call you this morning?"

"Nah. I didn't expect them to. It's okay, though. All famous people have their haters."

"And don't forget," Jesse added, "They all hate me, too."

* * *

The plane began boarding minutes later, and Rachel was glad to find that she was seated in the same row as Caleb and Jesse.

"Guys, this is so great! I finally get to leave Ohio," Caleb said once they were all seated.

"You live here?" Rachel asked. "I've never seen you around."

"Oh, I live farther north. I actually met Shelby through a theatre company in my hometown, and she asked me to join this production."

"Shelby certainly knows where to find talented people," Rachel mused.

"Do you include yourself in the 'talented people' category?" Jesse asked her.

"You've known me long enough to be able to answer that question on your own," Rachel responded.

Turning to Caleb, Jesse whispered in his ear, "That means yes. She's pretty arrogant, better get used to it."

"Hey! I heard that St. James!"

"I know. I just love seeing you mad, Rach."

A flight attendant announced that the plane was preparing for take-off, and Rachel gripped her seat.

"Nervous flier?" Caleb asked.

"A little," Rachel muttered, closing her eyes. _Deep breathing, deep breathing_, she thought to herself.

"Sing in your head," Jesse suggested. "That always helps me."

Nodding, Rachel started singing the first lines to "Don't Rain on My Parade" in her head. _Don't tell me not to live; just sit and putter..._

When she reached the final chorus, Jesse tapped her arm.

"We've taken off already, Rachel. You can let go of my arm."

Only then did Rachel notice that she hadn't been grabbing her own seat, but Jesse's arm.

"Sorry," she apologized. "How did we get up in the air and I didn't even realize it?"

"Well, by the look on your face, you were head-singing pretty intensely."

"No offense, but you were making the same faces as her, Jesse," Caleb added.

"I was singing 'Don't Rain on My Parade'," she whispered to Jesse once Caleb had turned away.

"No surprise there," Jesse laughed. "I was singing 'Bohemian Rhapsody'."

"Predictable," Rachel smiled. "Hey, where's Marisa? I didn't see her in the terminal."

"Oh, she's taking a later flight. Something about not wanting to sit in the economy seats."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "And you like her because...?"

"She's talented. I'm attracted to talent, what can I say? Why do you think I started dating you?"

"Uh, because Shelby told you to?"

"No, after about the fourth date, I stopped dating you for Shelby, and I started dating you for me."

"Our fourth date? Wasn't that around the time when we went to the Wiggles concert?"

"Yep. I was amazed that you weren't ashamed to be surrounded by a bunch of little kids. Amazed that you weren't ashamed to subject _me_ to being surrounded by a bunch of little kids."

"The concert got rave reviews online! It was the perfect opportunity to pick up performing tips."

"And thanks to that concert, I now know how to appeal to the younger generation," Jesse smirked.

"Exactly. Do you still have that Care Bear I won you?"

"If I do, it's probably under my bed with all the other stuff you gave me while we were dating. After the egging thing, I kind of wanted to put you out of my mind."

"Oh," Rachel said softly. "It was the same way for you."

""What was that?"

"Nothing," Rachel said quickly, flashing a smile. "So I'm sure you'll be able to tell me all the best vegan restarants in Cali."

Jesse laughed. "Think again. I'm a glorified meat eater. I could tell you the best steakhouses, though," he offered.

* * *

The plane ride went by faster than Rachel expected. She spent the time alternating between talking to Jesse and Caleb, watching Funny Girl on her Ipod, and trying to fall asleep. When the plane finally hit the runway in California, Rachel had just succeeded in the latter. Her wake up call was Caleb throwing one of those plane pillows at her face.

Shel made her way groggily off the plane, almost forgetting to grab her carry-on bag. However, when she walked into the California sunlight, she became wide awake. The sun didn't shine like that in Ohio. In fact, the sun seemed to brighten the entire cast's mood, and they all cheerily made their way over to the baggage claim.

"Okay, there are cars outside waiting to take us to the hotel. I'm sure you'll all being going your own way once settled down, and since this is the last time I'll have you all together before rehearsal tomorrow, I just wanted to run through some final details." Shelby pulled a clipboard out from her over-sized tote.

"You can do that tomorrow morning, Shelby," Caleb groaned.

"Yeah," other cast members added. "You told us everything at the Ohio terminal. Just let us enjoy this last day before the show opens."

"Alright," Shelby sighed, throwing up her hands in defeat. "Make sure to have a good time today. I'm going to be working you all to the death tomorrow."

After retrieving their luggage, Rachel and Jesse both made their way to the cars stationed outside the airport.

"Isn't this fabulous?" Rachel gushed. "The sun is so bright, and everyone is so hip. Ohmygod, did we just pass that guy from that show? Jesse! Say something!"

Jesse slid on his black sunglasses. Shrugging, he replied, "It's just California."

"It's amazing! I'm definitely moving here after high school."

"Rachel, you've been in this state for all of an hour. Calm down."

"I can't, Jesse! This is the start of my life as a star!" And with that, she hopped into the first available car, instructing the driver to handle her bags with extra care.

Jesse watched her, laughing. Caleb came up behind him and whispered in his ear, "Kinda makes you fall in love with her all over again, huh?"

Spinning around, Jesse rolled his eyes. "What do you know about love?" he asked as he put his luggage into the car.

"Hey, I had a girlfriend back in the eigth grade!" Caleb shouted.

"Sure you did," Jesse replied sarcastically, sliding into the car with Rachel.

"Okay…maybe it wasn't eigth grade. But even if I was only in fifth grade, I still learned a lot about love!" he heard Caleb shout as they began to drive away.

**A/N:Sorry for the long wait. I had a crazy week full of auditions and read-throughs, and then my internet was down. I kinda hate this chapter, but I needed to get something out. Thanks for all the reviews and please! Keep them coming!**

** Hey! Did you guys see Jesse last night? Oh, well, it was easy to miss him. He was only on for about THREE MINUTES. God, that makes me so mad. You bring back someone as talented as Jon Groff, and you don't even take advantage of it. RIB, are you really so lazy that you can't even complete the Rachel-Jesse storyline? The last thing we heard about him is that he blamed them losing Nationals on the kiss. (Which was TRUE, *cough* Really Finn, you couldn't have waited two minutes to kiss her back stage?) Anyway, I wrote a longer rant in a new one-shot titled "Dear Rachel Berry," Check it out!**


	10. It Comes With the Fame

The flashing of cameras left Rachel momentarily blind.

"Rachel Berry! What high school did you attend?"

"Are you dating Jesse?"

"Have any deep secrets?"

Unknown names continued to scream out at her, and Rachel put her hands over her ears to block out the sound. Spinning around, her nose connected with someone's chest. She was lost in a sea of light with no way out.

"Just walk, Rachel," an unknown voice whispered in her ear. It was so loud that she barely made out the person's words.

Taking a deep breath, she took a step, not knowing where she was going. A firm hand pushed her forward, and she stumbled through the hotel's door.

"What the hell just happened?" she asked, collapsing onto one of the lobby couches. Rubbing her eyes, she regained her eyesight and watched Jesse smirk as he sat down next to her.

"You didn't know? There's going to be a quick press conference in an hour. The press must've gotten here early to catch us coming in."

"Do you mean I'm actually going to have to talk to those people? Jesse, they're insane!"

"It comes with the fame," Jesse shrugged. "You _do_ want to be famous, right?"

"Of course! But-"

"Excuse, Ms. Berry. My name is Julia. I'm supposed to show you to your room." A thirty-something blonde held out her hand, and Rachel shook it. "Mr. St. James, someone will be coming for you shortly."

"Oh, uh, okay," Rachel nodded hesitantly, eyeing Jesse's look of encouragement.

Gathering up her bags, Julia motioned for a bellhop who grabbed the remaining suitcases. He led the way over to the elevator, and Rachel kept her eyes trained on the back of Jesse's head as the doors slid closed.

"So what do you think of LA?" Julia asked.

Rachel gave a weak smile. "I was in love with it until a couple of minutes ago."

"Are you talking about those paparazzi guys? Well, it's just something you're going to have to get used to."

"I know. I mean, I dreamed about being chased by guys with cameras ever since I was a little girl. I just never thought it'd be this traumatic."

Julia patted Rachel's arm. "You're all they've been talking about lately, you know."

Rachel whipped her head around and stared at her. It wasn't as if she actually kept up with gossip sites, but the fact that they had been talking about her and she had no idea was a little chilling. "What have they been saying?" she asked warily.

"Oh, they're just amazed that a young girl from Ohio won the role of Fanny. Everyone was expecting a movie star to take on the role."

"Well, the director and I have known each other for quite a while now," Rachel explained. _Since I was born_, she thought.

"Ah, yes," the elevator doors opened and Julia led the way down a hall. "They're also speculating about your relationship with Jesse St. James." She glanced back at Rachel. "A source revealed that you two dated for some time last year."

Rachel laughed. "We may have been romantically involved in the past, but presently we're just friends." She supposed it to be only natural that the paparazzi paied two leads of a brand new show together in reality.

"Of course, Ms. Berry. Here is you room." She pointed at he large "885" positioned on the door. "I hope you find everything to your liking."

Opening the door, Rachel stepped into the room with visions of grandeur floating around in her head. Those visions were immediately crushed, though, as she stared at the single room before her. There was a bed against one wall, a window against another, and the bathroom was concealed against the third wall. Other than that, and a large air conditioner, the room was completely bare. The beige walls and grey carpeting made everything seem rather dreary.

Julia must've noticed Rachel's shocked expression, and she quickly said, "We wanted to give you one of the suites, but Ms. Corcoran wouldn't allow it."

"No, this is fine," Rachel nodded, her smile full of mock enthusiasm.

"Great," Julia returned her smile. "I'll be back in a half hour to retrieve you for the press conference. I suggest you spend this time freshening up.

After she left, Rachel went straight to work fixing her makeup and changing out of her tank top and sweat pants she traveled in. Changing into a casual black dress, she just finished smoothing out her hair when a knock came from the door.

"Come in," she called, figuring Julia had arrived to bring her to the conference. The door opened, and Jesse walked in, taking a seat on her bed.

"Like the room?" he smirked, and Rachel shot him a glare.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the press conference?" she retorted, running around the room, trying to keep herself busy.

"We still have like twenty minutes before it starts, Rach. Would you calm down? This is exactly the reason why Shelby didn't tell you there was going to be a press conference in the first place."

"So you all knew about this besides me? That's completely unfair! You've all had time to prepare while I'm going to be forced to wing the whole thing!" Rachel retrieved a piece of paper from her purse and quickly began to scribble notes on how to respond to the interviewers' questions.

"Professionals _always_ wing it." Jesse responded, grabbing Rachel's notes and tossing them on the ground. "Just have fun! Be positive, but never give a straight answer to personal questions. I'm sure you know that, though…I can just imagine how many books you've read on giving an interview."

She had to restrain herself from throwing her purse directly at his face. "I'm pretty sure you were the one who told me that you read celebrity biographies to pick up lifestyle tips."

"Still do," he admitted. "It'll help me in the long run."

Rachel stared at him, taking in his usual black attire and the way it somehow brightened his eyes. She noticed how his head was always angled slightly upwards, as if he was immaculately confident.

"What?" Jesse asked, his eyebrows forming a V.

"You're always so sure of yourself," she said quietly. "Aren't you ever afraid of failing?"

He shrugged. "I've enough faith in myself to know that failing is never an option."

"Did you get that line out of a celebrity bio?" she jokingly asked.

"Probably," he smiled. "What about you, though? You never seem to be scared of failing."

"I'm just a good actress. You know how self-concious I am. Does "Run Joey Run" ring a bell?"

"Oh yeah. I totally lost it that day. I had just started to think that we could be a real couple, and then you went and cast the Not-So-Jolly Green Giant and Mr. Badass against me."

"It was a mistake," she muttered, rummaging in her purse again for nothing in particular.

"I know," he said sincerely. "That's why I came back."

In the next moment, there was something shared between the two co-stars. Whether it was a nostalgic smile or a tiny rekindled flame inside both Jesse and Rachel, the mood in the room changed and suddenly there was no air.

"I better go get ready," Jesse whispered, taking his eyes off of Rachel's. He stood and left the room without a further goodbye.

Rachel kept her eyes trained on the door for a few seconds, wondering if he would come back in to retrieve the sunglasses he dropped on the way out. When the door remained shut, she went over to the air conditioner and turned it on high. Laying down on the bed, Rachel forced herself to ignore the lingering smell of his cologne and think about absolute nothingness.

Julia arrived in what seemed like seconds later, and sitting up, Rachel realized she had fallen asleep.

"Door's open," she yelled sleepily, trying to fix her hair.

"Time to go!" Julia called. "The press is waiting for you in the conference room."

Taking a deep breath, Rachel gave herelf one last look-through in the bathroom mirror before quickly grabbing her notes off of the floor and rushing down the hall after Julia.

Once they reached the door to the conference room, Julia turned around and placed her hands on Rachel's shoulders. "I can tell your nervous," she smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry, though. You're going to do great." She leaned in for a hug as the door to the room opened. Shelby stood before them, and motioned for Rachel to follow her inside.

Giving Julia a grateful smile, she thanked her and hurried after Shelby, who was making her way towards another set of doors.

"What's up with the small rooms?" Rachel questioned.

"I figured you all needed to numb down your egos," she smirked.

"I find that offensive," Rachel responded with mock hurt.

"Well, sorry," Shelby shrugged. "Now listen, I'm going to go in first and announce you. You're going to walk in through these doors, maybe wave and smile a bit, then take a seat next to Jesse."

"Wait, he's here already?" Rachel asked.

"Everyone is here," Shelby responded. "I told Julia to get you a little late. I wanted you to be the last one here so you could really make a grand entrance. Besides, you're the one they've all been talking about. Now take a deep breath. This is your moment." Without even pausing, she swiftly turned and walked through the set of doors. Rachel got a glimpse of flashing cameras and a mass of people.

"_Oh God_," she thought. "_This better not be like this morning_."

Through the doors, she heard Shelby say, "Ladies and gentleman. I know you've all been waiting for her, and she has finally arrived. I can honestly say that with her as Fanny Brice, _Funny Girl_ is truly the best show it can possibly be. May I introduce you to the star of our show, Rachel Berry."

Rachel clapsed the door handles in her sweaty palms, and sending up a silent prayer to God, threw them open. The bright lights of the cameras assaulted her, but taking tips from this morning, she remained poised. She smiled and waved as she made her way to the center of a long white table set up at one side of the room. Shelby and Jesse were sitting directly in the middle, with a seat open between them. Stopping in front of her chair, Rachel gave a final flourishing wave before settling into her seat.

"You're a natural," Jesse remarked quietly, making sure his microphone didn't pick it up.

Before she had a chance to respond, Shelby opened the floor to the press, and they all began to yell Rachel's name. Taking cue from conferences she had seen on TV, she hesitantly pointed to a frumpy journalist woman who was sitting closest to her.

"You're from Lima, Ohio, correct?" she asked professionally.

"Right," Rachel nodded.

"How does it feel to be only seventeen and from the Midwest and to be taking on such an iconic role?"

"Scary, of course," she responded immediately. "I've known Shelby and Jesse for a while, so I feel comfortable working with them, but initially I was scared out of my mind. This is the farthest I've been from Ohio and to not have my dads here adds to the anxiety."

The journalist smiled, and Rachel pointed to a new person.

"Did you says dads, with an s?"

"Yes, I have to gay fathers, and I love them both very much."

Murmurs were heard throughout the room as writers nodded their head in approval.

"How did your school friends respond to the news of you joining this tour?" a writer shouted.

The memories of that last day in the choir room entered Rachel's mind, but she pushed them out. "Oh, they were thrilled. Some of them were a little jealous, but for the most part, they couldn't have been happier for me."

She could've sworn she heard Jesse laugh.

"Are you handling this newfound fame well?" someone asked.

"Oh, this morning it was a little rough," she laughed. "But now I can tell that you guys aren't so bad."

The journalists quietly laughed, and Rachel began to calm down. "_This is easy_," she thought.

"Ms. Berry, you said earlier that you've known Jesse St. James for a while. Can you tell us all how you first met?" another journalist asked.

Rachel could see where this was going. "Well, we were both from around the same area. Plus, we both were in our schools' glee clubs…" she trailed off, hoping that was enough information.

"Yes, but where was your first meeting with Mr. St. James?"

"We met in a music shop," Jesse interrupted. "We were both looking for songs for our glee clubs, and we recognized each other from competitions. We became friends from there."

"Just friends?" the journalist prodded.

Rachel glanced at Jesse, wondering how much information from their pasts she should reveal. Jesse shrugged, confirming his indifference on what she was going to say.

"We dated for a little while," Rachel admitted, and the room began to buzz. "We're just friends now, though."

"What broke up the relationship?" someone shouted out.

"Uhm," she hesitated, not wanting to reveal the true reason.

"I was going to UCLA, and we both thought a long distance relationship wouldn't work out," Jesse interrupted again, saving Rachel.

"We just work better as friends," Rachel added, and the conversation was put to a close.

The rest of the conference was spent with questions directed mostly towards Shelby and the producers of the show, but every once in a while a question would bring the spotlight back to Rachel. She didn't know what she was so nervous about walking in; being in front of the press was a lot of fun. It really made her feel like a star.

Before she knew it, the conference was over, and she was being whisked out of the room with Jesse right behind her. "You handled it like a pro," he said to her once they were out in the hall again.

"Thanks," she smiled at him. "I hope everyone back homes reads about this. Especially New Directions. I really should have told the truth and humiliated all of them."

"But you're a better person than that," Jesse glanced back into the conference room. The press was starting to file out, and some were coming their way. "We better get back to our room," he suggested.

They quickly walked down the hall and paused when they reached Rachel's door. "Do you want to come in?" she asked.

"No," he said slowly, "but a bunch of people from the cast are going out tonight. Do you want to come?"

"_This is not a date. This is not a date. This is not a date_." Those were the only words filling Rachel's mind.

"Sure," she responded, her voice cracking.

"Great," he smiled, "Marisa's going to be there. Please don't start a fight, okay?" Jesse asked walking towards his own room.

Rachel only rolled her eyes, taking out her room key. This is definitely _not_ a date.

**Author's Note: Again, so sorry for the long wait. I explained my reasons in the note in the previous chapter. That note will be deleted once the NEXT chapter is released. As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The reviews have been absolutely fantastic, and I hope it continues to be that way. Really, the more reviews, the faster I update. Thanks again!**


	11. Blame It on the Alcohol

**Warning: This chapter may seem a little OOC….if you believe Jesse would never get drunk and Rachel would never even consider doing such a thing.**

* * *

"Kurt! I need your help," Rachel said into the phone. Pacing back and forth in the hotel room, she stared at the scattered pieces of clothing on the floor.

"Fashion emergency?" he asked quickly.

"How did you know?"

"There are very few times where people need my help. Fashion is always the reason. Now what do you need an outfit for?""

"A bunch of the cast is going out to a club tonight. I've never even been to a club before! The only ones in Ohio were full of sleazy people! What the hell am I supposed to wear?"

"Calm down, Rachel. Tell me what clothes you brought with you. We'll work with what you have."

"Uhm, I brought a sweater with a bear on it, a sweater with a cat on it, and-"

"Skip the animal sweaters!" Kurt shouted through the phone.

"I barely have anything else! There's a polka-dot dress and a striped one, but they both come below my knee. I need something short, right?"

"Jesse's going to be there, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then yes, you definitely need something short. This might be a stretch, but do you have anything, you know, sexy?"

Her eyes landed on the black mini-dress she had discarded in the corner of the room.

"Wear it. I don't care what it is, but judging from your silence, it must be so bad that you don't even want to put it on."

"Kurt, it's a black mini-dress! I'm going to look like a hooker!"

"And who told you that?" he asked. "Finn? Rachel, he's the same boy who actually wears those awful jacket vests. Take it from me, that dress will be perfect. You'll have Jesse back in your arms in no time."

"I don't want him in my arms!" Rachel objected loudly.

"Right, you're just in denial._ I_ want him back in your arms. Aside from my prejudice towards him for stealing my solos and quite possibly being a spy, I thought you two made the cutest couple."

"He's got a girlfriend," Rachel muttered, trying not to sound bitter.

"But I just Facebook stalked him the other day! His relationship status is single."

"I don't Kurt," she sighed. "I think he's trying to take things slow with her. It doesn't even matter, though. I don't like him."

"Whatever you say, hun. Just make sure to wear that mini-dress. Even if you aren't trying to impress Jesse, it's the only thing that's appropriate."

"Kurt, what if some random guy tries to, you know…" Rachel squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the mental pictures.

"What?" he laughed. "Rape you? You're going to a club. Not a gang meeting. Besides, Jesse will protect you."

"Stop with that!" she groaned. Kurt laughed and explained that Blaine was calling, leading to a disconnect seconds later.

As much as he could be annoying, there was something about talking to Kurt that was a comfort.

* * *

Hours later Rachel was pushed up against a limousine window, being successfully squished in the too-small vehicle for the twenty cast members. Someone had pulled out a pack of beer, and it was making its way around the circle.

"Want some?" asked a certain curly-haired boy, the cause of Rachel's current uncomfortable position.

"How about you make some room for me first?" she muttered, shoving his arm.

He moved over as much as he could, and Rachel was left with slightly more room to breathe.

"Want some?" Jesse repeated. Rachel stared at the beer can in disgust.

"I'm only seventeen. _You're_ only nineteen. Last time I checked, the drinking age was twenty-one."

"You sound like my mom," Jesse drawled, and Rachel glanced at the two empty cans on his lap.

"You get tipsy after only three beers? I think that's reason enough to prove that you're too young to be drinking."

"Rachel," he said slowly. "I'm Jesse St. James. I can do whatever I want. I'm…" he blinked slowly, as if he didn't know where he was. "I'm king of the world!" he shouted, causing the rest of the limo to cheer.

"Well, king of the world, why don't you declare this to the rest of Hollywood?" Caleb suggested from the opposite side of the circle of people.

"You know what? I think I will. Open the sunroof," Jesse commanded, taking another swig of beer.

"Jesse," Rachel said warily, eyeing the opened sunroof, "I don't think this is smart."

"What are you talking about? I'm at UCLA. I'm smart," he said drunkenly, pushing his way through the roof. Rachel dipped her head in embarrassment as she listened to the ridiculous things coming out of Jesse's mouth.

"I'm king of the world!" he shouted again, only this time the entire boulevard could hear him. Jesse then proceeded to sing a completely off-key rendition of "My Heart Will Go On", to the horror of Rachel.

"Can someone please pull him back inside?" she asked sharply. "With our luck a cop will see him and give us a ticket for disturbing the peace."

Nobody seemed to hear her over the laughter of fellow cast members and Jesse's obnoxiously loud singing. A few minutes later, Jesse bid his goodbyes to the public and came back through the roof, greeted with applause.

"Oh stop it!" he laughed, sitting down next to Rachel. "How was I?" he asked her, his breath heavy with the smell of alcohol.

"You drank more than three cans of beer," she stated. "I didn't think you could be so stupid."

"Rachel! I'm just having fun!" he slurred. "It's our last night of freedom! Take advantage of it."

"No thanks," she murmured, wrinkling her nose at the stench. She tugged at her mini-dress, thinking that it was a mistake to come.

The limo began to slow down as they reached the front of the Nitro Night Club. A mixture of cheers, applause, and overall drunkendness erupted from the car as the doors were flung open before the driver had even properly stopped. Rachel momentarily contemplated remaining in the limo for the rest of the night, but finally decided that just checking out the inside of the club wouldn't do any harm. Besides, if anything, the limo was supposed to be stationed outside the entire time; she could always come back.

Inside, the club was pulsating to the beat of the heavy metal music coming through scattered speakers. Before Rachel even knew what was happening, she was swept into the mass of dancers on the floor, trying to fight her way out. She felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist, and she flung her hand backwards, hoping it connected with the owner of the hands' face.

"What the hell?" a male grunted, and Rachel turned triumphantly around to see what kind of slime had grabbed her. Turned out, that so-called slime was Jesse. A small trail of blood was making its way down Jesse's chin from his lip.

"Ohmigod, I'm sorry. I didn't realize…" Rachel started, but Jesse swatted away her words.

"Don't matter," he mumbled, swaying slightly on his feet. Suddenly, a squeal erputed from behind Rachel, and she turned to see the source. Marisa.

"Jesse!" she squeaked. "Why's your lip bleeding? Is it going to mess up that beautiful face of yours?"

"I dunno," he shrugged as Marisa wrapped her arms around him. "Let's dance," he said, leaving Rachel alone without even a goodbye.

_Not that you could really expect that from a drunk person_, Rachel thought. She never really took Jesse as the drinking type. Maybe he wasn't, and that was why he was reacting so strongly after only a couple of beers.

Rachel made her way over to an empty stool at the bar, quickly shaking her head when the bartender approached her. She sat for a while watching the swarm of dancers. Most of them were intoxicated, and Rachel was amused by some of their dance moves. Soon a skinny blonde floated over to the bar, bumping into Rachel as she took a seat.

"Why aren't you dancing…or drinking?" she asked, and by the way her eyes remained unfocused, Rachel could tell she was pretty drunk.

"I don't feel- wait! You're Bethany Viola! Aren't you nominated for a Golden Globe?"

The woman glanced at Rachel and frowned. "Just cause I'm a movie star doesn't mean I can't party every once in a while."

"I didn't mean it like that," Rachel back-tracked. "I was just surprised to see you."

"Well, I'm pretty surprised to see you here, too," Bethany drawled as the bartender set a flask in front of her.

"You know who I am?"

"Mhm, you're the Rasberry girl."

"Do you mean Rachel Berry?"

"Sure." Bethany nodded quickly. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"He's over-" Rachel broke off, her cheeks reddening. "Jesse's not my boyfriend."

"But you want him to be," Bethany volunteered, staring at her drink."

"We're just friends."

Bethany turned and looked at the empty table spot in front of Rachel. "You're never going to make it in Hollywood."

"What?" Rachel frowned, taken back.

"You don't drink, you-"

"I'm underage!"

"It doesn't matter," Bethany rolled her eyes. "You don't do drugs. Please, if you don't drink, you definitely wouldn't do drugs. And by the looks of it, you're still a virgin."

"I don't see a problem with that," Rachel muttered, covering her chest protectively.

"The only way to get your name out there is by doing something** bad**."

"Well, I don't want to make it in Hollywood. I want to make it on Broadway," she said triumphantly.

"I suspect it's the same there. Honey, it's all the same everywhere. Trust me. I've been in this business long enough." A muscular man in his twenties came up behind Bethany and put his arms around her.

"Beth, baby, don't you want to dance? I'm getting antsy."

Bethany rolled her eyes at Rachel. "Rachel Berry, meet Greg Tenley. Greg, Rachel. Why don't you go dance with her? I need another drink."

Greg glanced at Rachel and smirked. "She doesn't seem to be the dirty dancing type."

"Then teach her!" Bethany spat, ordering another drink. "It's Rachel or nothing."

"What if I don't want to dance with him?" Rachel objected.

"Aw, don't hurt my feelings like that." Greg said, grabbing her hand. "Just follow my lead." He pulled Rachel onto the dance floor and immediately began to grind against her. Spotting Jesse not too far away, Rachel began to grind back, thinking _Why not?_ A surge of jealousy rolled through her, and she began to put her whole self into the dancing. Rachel spotted Jesse staring at her; he was frowning. Then Greg began to get a little bit rougher, causing some of the nearby dancers to notice. Before Rachel knew it, Greg was on the ground and someone was standing over him.

"My girlfriend!" the person slurred, and Rachel realized it was Jesse. He turned and grabbed Rachel's arm, pulling her towards an abandoned corner of the room. Greg remained on the ground, clutching his hands to his nose.

"You can't dance with him!" Jesse shouted once they were alone.

"Why not?" Rachel asked. "You were dancing with Marisa! It's none of your business what I do!"

"But you're my girlfriend!"

"What?" Rachel asked quietly. "No I'm not."

Jesse threw his head into his hands. "I need another drink."

"Maybe you've had_ too_ many."

"Jesse!" Marisa screamed, running over to them. "What did you do to that man? You can't just go up to people and punch them like that!"

"I did it cause…" Jesse spoke slowly, trying to keep his eyes on Marisa.

"You did it why?" Marisa shouted back impatiently.

"…I don't feel so good," he muttered, and proceeded to pass out directly on top of Rachel.

* * *

Once back in her hotel room, Rachel reflected on the previous hour. After Jesse passed out, a security guard had arrived and immediately called 911. Gathering the rest of the cast, they waited for an ambulance to come and tried to figure out how they were going to tell Shelby what happened. Minutes before the ambulance arrived, though, Jesse came to. It was obvious he remembered nothing of the evening, and not wanting to cause any more damage, the cast left Nitro and headed back to the hotel.

Rachel's thoughts turned to Bethany and all she had said about how to make it in Hollywood. Was what she said true? Did you have to be an alcoholic, druggie, or sex maniac to make it big? Should she really risk her own health for that? Rachel wasn't the type of person to do things like that. Yet again, Rachel wasn't the type of person who let anything get in the way of her achieving her dreams.

Everything was a jumbled mess, and Rachel decided the only way to figure everything out was to sleep off all the crazy feelings she had accumulated inside of the club. There would be tons of time to think about these things at rehearsal tomorrow. Rehearsal…oh god. What would Shelby say if she found out about what happened? Rachel didn't want to know.

* * *

**Author's Note: EW! A late update again. =( Sorry readers, my writer's block has been pretty annoying lately. Thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter. I was a little upset at the lack of reviews, but I'm sure you guys will make me happy this week =D REVIEW!**


	12. Rumour Has It

***cue deep-man voice over* Last Week on...Hello Again:**

"_Kurt! I need your help," Rachel said into the phone._

_"Fashion emergency?" he asked quickly._

_"How did you know?"_

_"Want some?" Jesse repeated. Rachel stared at the beer can in disgust._

_"I'm only seventeen. You're only nineteen. Last time I checked, the drinking age was twenty-one."_

_"You sound like my mom," Jesse drawled, and Rachel glanced at the two empty cans on his lap._

_A skinny blonde floated over to the bar, bumping into Rachel as she took a seat._

_"Why aren't you dancing…or drinking?" she asked, and by the way her eyes remained unfocused, Rachel could tell she was pretty drunk._

_"I don't feel- wait! You're Bethany Viola! Aren't you nominated for a Golden Globe?"_

_A muscular man in his twenties came up behind Bethany and put his arms around her._

_"Beth, baby, don't you want to dance? I'm getting antsy."_

_Bethany rolled her eyes at Rachel. "Rachel Berry, meet Greg Tenley. Greg, Rachel."_

_He pulled Rachel onto the dance floor and immediately began to grind against her. Spotting Jesse not too far away, Rachel began to grind back, thinking Why not? A surge of jealousy rolled through her, and she began to put her whole self into the dancing. Rachel spotted Jesse staring at her; he was frowning. Then Greg began to get a little bit rougher, causing some of the nearby dancers to notice. Before Rachel knew it, Greg was on the ground and someone was standing over him._

_"My girlfriend!" the person slurred, and Rachel realized it was Jesse._

_Everything was a jumbled mess, and Rachel decided the only way to figure everything out was to sleep off all the crazy feelings she had accumulated inside of the club. There would be tons of time to think about these things at rehearsal tomorrow. Rehearsal…oh god. What would Shelby say if she found out about what happened? Rachel didn't want to know. _

* * *

"I wake up this morning to room service carting in this beautiful breakfast for me…" Shelby was pacing back and forth on the Pantages Theatre stage, facing the Funny Girl cast members. They sat cringing in the audience; they knew where this was leading. Rachel was sitting as far back as she possibly could, hoping to avoid some of Shelby's wrath. Jesse, on the other hand, sat in the front row, evidently oblivious to all that had happened the night before. He was obviously struggling with the repercussions of all that drinking; his eyes were bloodshot, and he kept clutching his head as if he had a massive headache.

"…and along with that breakfast, they brought me this morning's LA Times. So of course I flip directly to the Entertainment section to see if there was any coverage of yesterday's press conference. Instead, I find this." Shelby pulled a newspaper clipping out of her jacket. A picture of Jesse punching Greg was under the heading "Funny Girl cast makes a splash in LA!" Rachel spotted herself in the corner of the picture, looking absolutely terrified. "You know, I picked all of you to perform in this show because I thought you were good actors. Apparently, though, you people don't understand how to keep the drama on the stage." She made her way down the stage and stood directly in front of Jesse. "Now should I even ask you for an explanation? Because I don't want to hear any BS."

Rachel could see Jesse shrug his shoulders. "I don't remember much," he said groggily.

"Hmm," Shelby nodded. "That would make sense because this article also says that you passed out shortly after this little debacle. Now, the paparazzi weren't sure why you passed out, but they're pretty sure it was because you were exceedingly drunk." Shelby shot him a glare. "You're lucky they didn't get a picture of you holding a can of beer. Oh, don't try to tell me you weren't drinking. You're not even trying to conceal the fact that you have a hangover. What the hell were you thinking? You're underage, Jesse! Give me one good reason I shouldn't pull you out of this show!"

The entire theatre became eerily silent as Shelby's words sank in. "It was a mistake! I learned my lesson. It'll never happen again," Jesse plead with her. She ignored him and instead began to search the rows of cast members.

"Jesse isn't the only one at fault here," she said quietly. "In fact, you all are at fault. I would think that after working together for an entire month, you'd be looking out for each other. Why would you even allow Jesse to drink in the first place?" Her eyes landed on Rachel and she let out a small laugh. "Oh, Rachel. There you are; all the way in the back. Good try, but you just can't hide from me. Oh well. Do you mind telling me why you were dancing with Greg Tenley? Why do you look so confused? Are you trying to tell me that you didn't know that Mr. Tenley is the most notorious bad boy in all of California? Most people believe his lifelong dream is to get into the pants of every girl who has ever come to Hollywood. Come now, Rachel. I'm sure you've heard of him? No?"

Rachel shook her head slowly, trying to compute all of what Shelby was saying. The name Greg Tenley did sound somewhat familiar, but Rachel was so confused over her talk with Bethany that she didn't really have time to think before Greg pulled her onto the dance floor. And then there was always the fact that she wanted to make Jesse jealous…

"If I'm piecing this together right, or should I say if the press if piecing it together right, Rachel was dancing with this man whore when Jesse heroically stepped in to save Rachel from possible humiliation later in the evening. However, directly after this, Jesse proceeded to pass out right on top of the girl who is currently known as Greg Tenley's latest conquest." Shelby kept flicking her eyes between Jesse and Rachel, both of whom were lying as low as possible in their seats.

"I didn't even do anything with him!" Rachel objected weakly.

"I guess the paparazzi left before they found that out. Tough luck," Shelby sighed. "Maybe you should've thought about what you were doing before you acted. That goes for both of you." Walking back onto the stage, she folded her arms and glared at the cast. "I don't like the reputation this show is acquiring from this mishap. The only option I seem to have is to hold a press conference tomorrow afternoon before the show. I can't have everyone thinking this cast is made up of drunks and whores." Her eyes were trained on Jesse. "Jesse and Rachel, despite the hangovers you may be nursing, it's time to get your act together. I expect both of you to be presentable for tomorrow. Furthermore, you won't be able to tell the press the story you just told me. You'll both have to come up with a story that puts both of you in good favor. Okay?" she asked and the entire cast was staring at Rachel and Jesse.

Jesse turned around and made eye-contact with Rachel, giving her a half-smile. She nodded back at him, knowing what he was thinking. Turning back, Jesse sighed and said "We wouldn't be actors if we couldn't put on a good show." He shrugged.

Shelby rolled her eyes. "Now everyone get their sorry asses up on this stage. I'm planning on making this the worst rehearsal you all have ever been through."

After two hours of dancing, singing, and acting, Shelby mercifully allowed everyone to take a water break. Not a moment too soon either, because Rachel had sworn she was starting to see stars in her peripheral vision. She was gladly gulping down the containments of her Poland Spring bottle when Jesse walked up beside her.

"Was I really that bad last night?" he asked her quietly.

She raised her eyebrows and shot him a look. "Let's just say that you should lie off of the beer for a while."

"Oh God," he groaned. "Marisa must think I'm an idiot. She hasn't spoken to me all day."

"Or she heard what you called me after you punched Greg," Rachel murmured, realizing too late what she was saying.

Jesse's eyes widened. "Jeez, I'm so sorry Rach if it was something bad. You knew how drunk I was. I didn't know what I was doing. I don't even remember-"

"You called me your girlfriend," Rachel interrupted, a slight blush creeping onto her face. He stood staring at her, and she went to toss out her bottle to avoid more awkward silence. When she came back, Jesse was slouched in one of the audience seats.

"Marisa's right. I am an idiot," he said softly, running a hand through his curls.

"No you're not," Rachel said softly, sitting down next to him. "You were just a tad bit drunk."

"A tad," he snorted sarcastically. Jesse looked at her, studying her face. "What were you thinking when I called you my girlfriend?"

Rachel instantly became alert, but instead of sensing all of her surroundings, she could only see herself and Jesse. "I, um, thought that you were a tad bit drunk," she repeated.

He frowned slightly before flicking his lips upward into a smirk. "All this bad press reminds me of that time back at McKinley when someone released that Glist."

"Oh yeah, I was last," Rachel muttered, rolling her eyes. "Just another example of how under-appreciated I was there."

"Don't get too big-headed," Jesse lightly punched her arm. "New Directions is history now."

Just as he finished speaking, Rachel's phone began to ring. Holding up a finger to Jesse, she turned to answer it.

"Hel-"

"Did you lose virginity?" Kurt interrupted her greeting.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel nearly shouted.

"It's all over the news. You were hanging out with Greg Tenley. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Kurt, it's all a misunderstanding," she insisted.

"Oh, I saw the pictures. For someone who didn't even want to wear a mini-dress, you were getting pretty dirty on that dance floor. I just watched a video someone posted on YouTube of it. Jesse's got a mean right-hook."

"Nothing was going to happen between me and Greg! We danced for like ten seconds, and he had a date."

"Rachel, do you really think he cared about his date? He was responding pretty well to your…movements."

"First of all, he was the one who started all of that…grinding," she whispered, glancing at Jesse who was giving her a questioning look. "Kurt," she mouthed to him.

"You could've walked away," Kurt said. "At all of the school dances, you were never one to join those ridiculous grind lines. But I have a theory…"

"Which is?" Rachel asked, her cheeks reddening.

"You wanted to make Jesse jealous!" he declared loudly, and Rachel nearly threw the phone across the room.

"Kurt! Could you speak a little quieter?" she muttered angrily, jumping up and running away from her seat next to Jesse. He was still staring at her questioningly.

"Sorry, was Jesse sitting there? Well, how the hell was I supposed to know that? Blaine! Give me a minute, I'm talking to Rachel."

"Oooo, that naughty girl, huh?" another voice called into the phone.

"I didn't do anything with Greg!" Rachel insisted.

A beeping arose over the sound of Kurt's skeptical voice and pulling the phone away from her ear to check, Rachel saw it was a call _.

She glanced nervously back at the cast, as if they had all seen her incoming call. However, they were busy at work running through "His Love Makes Me Beautiful". She could see Jesse having what looked to be a very serious conversation with Marisa on the other side of the theater. Should she ignore Bethany's call? It'd probably save her a lot of trouble. But what if it was something important? An actor dropped out of her new movie and wanted to know if Rachel could fill in? She wants Rachel to meet her agent and possibly strike up a deal? The possibilities were too much to pass up.

"Kurt," she whispered into the phone, pushing her way out of the theater and into the lobby. "I'll call you back." Without waiting for a response, she ended the call and immediately answered the next one.

"Hello?" she said, trying her best not to sound nervous.

"Raaaachel," Bethany slurred. "You're on the phone with me," she giggled.

"Uhm, is something wrong?" Rachel asked cautiously.

"Nopers. Everything is right-o. Perfecto. La-di-da great. Just…just come on over," she continued to slur.

"Are you drunk?" Rachel asked, warning signals ringing in her head about where this could be going.

"Course not. I'm high," she said simply. "Crack tastes yummy. You should try it. Come overrrrrr."

"No," Rachel said, shaking her head even though Bethany couldn't see.

"But I got the whole cast here!"

About to respond with another sound no, the word was caught on her tongue. "The whole cast?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Yep, say hi everyone!" Bethany shouted and was followed by what sounded like a group of people moaning. "So ya gonna come?" she asked.

"I-I-I really shouldn't," Rachel stuttered, her body growing hot with pressure. "I have a press conference tomorrow and-"

"And that's tomorrow! Today's today! Live a little, girl!"

She didn't have to take anything. She could just sit and have a civil conversation with a….person on crack. That was possible. Besides, the opportunities that could come from it! This could be the start of her path to stardom.

"Be there after rehearsal," Rachel said, not entirely knowing what she was doing. The line went dead and Rachel stood silently, processing what had just happened. She heard the creaking of the stage door, and looked over her shoulder to see Jesse staring at her mournfully. It's obvious he overheard the conversation. Well, so what? He's not in charge of her life. No one was. And everyone pretending they cared; everyone who was judging her…they were starting to really piss her off.

"You're looking at me as if I'm going to collapse dead," she muttered, toying with her phone.

There's a pause. The opening bars of the overture could be heard from the theatre. The orchestra members must have arrived. Shelby will be searching for her and Jesse soon.

"You're getting yourself into trouble," he said softly.

"It's none of your business," Rachel responded.

"I care-"

"I don't care!" she cried, swerving to face him. He looked like he'd been smacked. "I don't want anyone's help. I don't want anyone looking out for me. I don't need you judging me. I may be in high school, but I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I've known what I wanted to do with my life since I was four. You don't need to…to…,"she hesitated, searching for the right analogy. "Like my DAD or something."

His hands were on her face in a second. His lips on hers. A moan of indignation came up her throat, and then receded. The door to the theatre was still open…open for anyone to see. Rachel swore she saw a flash of red hair, but no matter. Jesse was demanding her attention. The kiss was rough, intense…far too short. He pulled away from her, gasping. Rachel stared in shock, her hands frozen midair, where a second ago they were in his hair.

After regaining his breath, Jesse looked her in the eye. "Is that something your dad would do?"

**A/N: Well. That took a while. Looks like I'll have more writing juices soon, though, when JON GROFF RETURNS 3 And can I just say, I love all of you who stuck with me through this. Review so I can thank you! By the way, I didn't really check this over aside from spell-check, so sorry if it's weird. I was just so eager to put it out.**


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